Chandler Police Arrest Couple for Child Abuse
For Immediate Release
June 19, 2008

CHANDLER, AZ. On April 26, 2008 at approximately 10:00 AM, a twenty seven month old child was brought into the Chandler Regional Medical Center by his stepmother, Morgan Lege.  Medical staff administered CPR and medications to resuscitate the child who was then intubated, stabilized and flown to Desert Banner Medical Center Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).  Upon admission to the hospital PICU, the child weighed 12 pounds 12 ounces, well below the 5th percentile of the birth to 36-month growth chart.  There were indications the child was neglected and police were called to investigate.   While police investigated, the child was placed in protective custody.

The police investigation showed the child’s condition was not due to any medical causes but was due to severe malnutrition and parental neglect.  In addition, the investigation showed the child was maintaining his weight up to seven months.  From birth to 5 months, the child was in care of his biological mother.  From age five months old until hospitalization on April 26, the child was in the care of his father and stepmother.  During this time frame, medical records showed the child lost weight and fell from the 25 percentile on his growth chart to below the 0 percentile, off the chart. 

On June 18, 2008, Morgan Lege, a 25-year-old Chandler resident, and Edmundo Munoz, a 31-year-old Chandler resident, were arrested and charged with Child Abuse and booked into the Maricopa County 4th Ave Jail.  While the child has been in protective custody, he has gained weight and continues to improve and move up the growth chart. 

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