(La Porte, IN) - Charges have also been filed against the mother of a young boy who was starved at times before being murdered.

 

Mary Yoder, 26, was charged this afternoon in La Porte Circuit Court with two counts of Neglect of a Dependent. She's also charged with Failure to Report and Cruelty to an Animal.

 

According to court documents, Yoder told police officers after the four-year-old boy was found dead Monday, she knew how her son was being treated by his father, Alan Morgan, who's charged with Murder. She also told officers she was afraid of Morgan and couldn't stop his abuse. 

 

The woman said she would tell him things like "that's enough" and "leave him alone," but he continued with the battery.

 

However, court documents revealed that Yoder also commented that she could have stopped the abuse but failed to do it. 

 

Morgan, 28, is accused of being responsible for the blunt force trauma to the head that caused the boy to die from a massive brain injury.

 

Before his death, Morgan allegedly punished the boy for not being potty trained by wrapping his wrists and ankles with duct tape and leaving him in the basement sometimes for several days in a row. He also failed to provide the boy with an adequate amount of food.

 

The boy was covered in bruises when found dead in a bedroom at the family's residence near Kingsford Heights. An extremely malnourished dog was also found locked in a crate inside the home.

 

One of the child neglect counts against Yoder carries an up to 40-year prison sentence. She was being held on a $100,000 bond.