2 Iowa girls died of malnutrition and abuse, ruled homicides

The deaths of two more Iowa children — Sabrina Ray of Perry and Avery McCoy of Riverside — are being ruled homicides after they were malnourished and abused.

Together with the death of 16-year-old Natalie Finn of West Des Moines, the cases are raising more questions about whether authorities are doing enough to heed reports of child abuse.

Avery, 17 months, died last November in the southeast Iowa town of Riverside. So far, no charges have been filed in connection with the girl’s death, but it has been ruled a homicide.

“The law enforcement investigation is still open, so it would be inappropriate for me to comment at this time as to whether charges will be filed,” Washington County Attorney John Gish said.

Dr. Paul Towner, the Washington County medical examiner in the case, said the toddler weighed 11 pounds when she died. The exact cause was undetermined, but malnutrition and neglect were factors, Towner said.

Avery McCoy’s parents, Anthony Lamont McCoy, 36, and Ambrashia Marie Chrzan, 29, had 11 other children. One brother died before Avery.

Iowans have contacted Reader's Watchdog saying authorities were notified of the girl’s abuse.

But Amy McCoy, a spokesperson for Iowa’s Department of Human Services, has declined to say whether child-protective workers were involved with the McCoy-Chrzan family.

The agency did acknowledge it is investigating Avery's death, however.

Sabrina, 16, weighed just 56 pounds when she died of severe malnutrition May 12 at her home after allegedly being abused by the family who adopted her from foster care.

The Iowa State Medical examiner's office says the malnutrition was caused by denial of critical care.

Marc Ray, 41, and Misty Jo Bousman Ray, 40, who were accused of abusing other children in the home, are scheduled for a pre-trial conference Sept. 8.

They face an Oct. 31 trial for multiple felonies in connection with Sabrina’s death.

Misty Jo Bousman’s mother, 62-year-old Carla Raye Bousman, and the couple’s 21-year-old son, Justin Ray, as well as a niece, 20-year-old Josie Raye Bousman, also face multiple charges.

Multiple abuse reports were made prior to the death of Natalie Finn, who starved in her mother's home after being adopted and pulled from public schools. Nicole Finn and ex-husband Joe Finn face multiple felonies in connection with that case.

Last year, at least 20 Iowa children died from abuse, shootings and unsupervised accidents, a Reader's Watchdog probe of cases statewide found. That number included 11 deaths from suspected abuse.

Child homicides — those caused by another regardless of intent — hit a low mark of seven in 2013.

But they climbed to 13 in 2014 and at least 14 the next year, according to Iowa's Department of Human Services.

State legislators, the state ombudsman’s office, Iowa’s Child Death Review Team and Human Services are looking into the deaths.