The Springfield Twp. parents of a girl who weighed less than 13 pounds at 20 months old pleaded guilty Aug. 17 to child abuse charges.
Stephanie Woods, 36, and Cody Mercer, 34, face nine-month prison sentences as part of their plea agreements.
Their daughter is now being cared for by a family member.
The girl was hospitalized for "a significant amount of time" after she was born because of medical issues, and she was discharged in May 2025, according to prosecutors. When the girl was hospitalized again in November 2025, she was severely malnourished, dehydrated, had bed sores all over her body and weighed 13 pounds − which was less than she weighed six months earlier, Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Elyse Deters said in court.
Deters also said the girl had a feeding tube that was blocked.
Woods and Mercer were charged in November 2025.
At the plea hearing in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, Mercer's attorney Bradley Fox said Mercer knew that the house was "in shambles" and that Woods' mental health issues were interfering with her ability to take care of the child, but still he stayed out of the house.
"He wasn't doing what he was supposed to do as a parent," Fox said.
Woods said in court that she was diagnosed with major depressive disorder after her arrest and is undergoing treatment.
Her attorney, Clyde Bennett II, said that Woods and her family "are very pleased with the plea offer to resolve the case."
Despite the "overwhelming evidence of guilt and serious, near-fatal injuries to an infant, my client was offered a very fair plea," he said.
Sentencing is set for Sept. 9 before Judge Wende Cross.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Parents of 1-year-old girl who weighed 13 pounds plead guilty