HOUSTON – The mother of a girl whose body was found wrapped in blankets inside a refrigerator at a southwest Houston apartment has been charged with injury to a child by omission.
Amber Keyes is being held in the Harris County Jail on a $50,000 bond. She appeared in probable cause court Tuesday night.
"You are here because of a warrant that was issued for your arrest for the felony offense of causing serious bodily injury to a child," prosecutors read. "In your case, the judge who issued the warrant has decided already that there is probable cause in the case."
In October, the death of her daughter was ruled a homicide. According to records, the primary cause of death for 9-year-old Ayahna Comb was malnutrition and dehydration.
The girl had cerebral palsy and was so severely disabled she could not feed nor clothe herself. Ayahna weighed only 14 pounds at the time of her death.
Court documents state a doctor said Ayahna's death was due to neglect since she would have required special medical care because of her condition.
Keyes, 35, was arrested Tuesday.
A CPS case worker told the court during a June hearing that Keyes admitted putting her daughter's emaciated body in a drawer of her refrigerator at their residence in the 10100 block of Club Creek Drive after she stopped breathing on Jan. 29.
Keyes said she panicked, and hid her daughter's death from authorities and family members. Ayahna's father, Armand Combs, insisted that he had recently talked to his daughter's mother and she acted as if everything was fine. He sought custody of the youngest girl, but was denied.
Ayahna's little sister also had no idea her sister was dead. Investigators say the girl found Ayahna's body in the drawer of the refrigerator while she was looking for a cheese stick snack. She then began telling her playmates.
A concerned neighbor entered the family's apartment through an unlocked door on June 9 and found the child's body. He called the Houston Fire Department, and police were called to the scene.
Authorities said Keyes continued collecting Social Security Disability Income and food stamps for Ayahna following her death.
According to court documents, Keyes has a criminal history.
In 1998, police arrested Keyes on possession of a controlled substance charges and she spent more than a year in prison.
In 2000, she was arrested for criminal trespass and spent 30 days in jail.
CPS investigators say the mother of three has a history of substance abuse and a history with their agency.
Keyes also had a third daughter, who was older than Ayahna, but lost custody of her. The eldest girl was put up for adoption in 2004.
A custody hearing for Keyes' 6-year-old daughter will be held Thursday morning. The child is living with relatives and has no contact with her mother or father.