Hannah Davenport, age 6, died of malnutrition and dehydration after her caregivers failed to give her proper treatment for her medical condition. Hannah had a birth defect known as ectopic anus and required a special diet of soft food and frequent doctor visits, which her mother Karen Davenport (later Karen Chandler) and grandmother Linda Walsham failed to provide. Hannah and her two brothers were homeschooled.
Hannah’s parents had divorced in 2003 leaving Karen with full custody of their three children. Hannah’s father Leonard Davenport urged his ex-wife to take Hannah to the hospital after he saw her emaciated appearance about two weeks before her death, but Karen refused. Hannah weighed 27 lbs. at the time of her death.
Karen Davenport and Linda Walsham were charged in February 2005 with one count each of voluntary manslaughter. In spring 2007, the county prosecutor’s successor upped the charges to one count each of second-degree murder. In 2009 the charges against Walsham were dropped due to lack of evidence and the charge against Davenport was changed to voluntary manslaughter. Davenport was eventually found guilty in 2010 of second-degree voluntary manslaughter and was fined $5,000, avoiding jail time.
Date: January 29, 2005
Location: Anderson, Missouri
