Mother charged with infant homicide

Janette Clayton, 27, was charged with homicide by child abuse on Friday. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division made the announcement, upgrading her original three counts of unlawful conduct toward a child.

The charges follow the death of her daughter, Nomai Weathers, who was 11 months old. Nomai was found dead on June 17 near the front doorway of her family's apartment in North Charleston. She was partially wrapped in a blanket and weighed only 4 pounds, 13 ounces.

Court documents state Nomai was born prematurely and had sickle cell disease. The condition required medically necessary appointments, which Clayton allegedly failed to keep. An autopsy determined starvation with acute bronchopneumonia due to neglect was the cause of death. Officials ruled the manner of death a homicide.

Investigators described the apartment as being in deplorable conditions. The space was infested with cockroaches and flies. No food or child care supplies were found during the search.

The investigation also impacted two North Charleston Police Department officers who had previously responded to the unit. One officer was placed on leave, later fired, and charged. The second officer was placed on leave but has since been reinstated.