Malnourished 16-year-old weighing 26 pounds hospitalized; caretaker facing charges

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Pa. (WPMT) -- A Chambersburg woman is facing charges after a 16-year-old in her care was found to be severely malnourished to the point where the teen weighed only 26 pounds.

Elisabet Estrada, 41, is facing aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children charges for her role in the incident.

On October 24, 2019, police received an investigation request from Franklin County Children and Youth Services regarding a 16-year-old that had been admitted to Hershey Medical Center due to extreme undernourishment.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the teen weighed 26 pounds at the time of admittance to the hospital.

Court documents describe the victim as gaunt with ribs extremely evident and ravenously hungry. The victim was said to be emaciated and laid in bed in the fetal position in a way that appeared he couldn't stretch out, the affidavit reads.

It was found that Estrada, who had custody of the teen, had called genetics testing personnel at Hershey Medical Center and said that her son "has no medical issues that require hospitalization."

After requesting a verbal medical history timeline for the victim, Estrada said the teen was born in December 2002 and weighed 6 pounds. In January 2005, the child was 3 years old and weighed approximately 22 pounds, according to court documents.

The victim was seen at Hershey Medical Center in April 2019, and weighed 29.76 pounds at that time, according to court documents. In October 2019, the victim was admitted to Hershey Medical Center due to extreme undernourishment at a weight of 26 pounds and remained under care until December 23.

At the time of discharge, the victim weighed 45 pounds.

On January 13, a medical professional at Penn State Hershey Medical center advised that in their medical opinion, the victim's condition was due to malnutrition and medical neglect.

Estrada faces Aggravated Assault and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of Children.