Tenn. woman arrested in baby's starvation death

The (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) Daily News Journal

SMYRNA, Tenn. – A Tennessee woman was charged Wednesday with murder after authorities determined that her infant son had died of starvation.

Brittany Marie Wiest of Smyrna was arrested Wednesday after a nearly year-long investigation in connection to her son's death, according to a Smyrna Police Department news release.

Smyrna police responded on April 8, 2014, to a home in reference to an unresponsive, 2-month-old infant, the release said.

Anakin Leroy-Michael Wiest, 59 days old, was found to be deceased and extremely underweight, the release stated. According to the release, Wiest and her boyfriend, Michael Withers, were inside the apartment.

The infant's body was sent to the Forensic Medical Examiner's Office in Nashville for an autopsy to determine the cause of death, the release said . The examiner's report stated Anakin's cause of death was starvation and dehydration.

According to the release, the manner of death was determined to be homicide.

A Rutherford County Grand Jury returned indictments this week for aggravated child abuse, aggravated child neglect and felony murder.

Wiest, who is currently 24 weeks pregnant, is being held at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center on $100,000 bond, the release stated.