Wichita Falls, Texas — A jury trial is set to commence on September 24, 2025, following the selection of 12 jurors to hear the case against a mother accused of neglecting her child. Catherine Lynn Jarvey, 35, faces charges of injury to a child resulting in serious bodily harm and exploitation of a child after her six-year-old son was found in a severely malnourished state, weighing just 15 pounds.
The jury was formed after two days of selection, which began on September 22 at the Wichita County Courthouse. Proceedings are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. with opening statements from both the prosecution and the defense, presided over by Judge Meredith Kennedy in the 78th District Court.
The legal troubles for Jarvey began on September 21, 2022, when police were called to the Delux Inn around 1:30 a.m. There, they discovered her child suffering from extreme malnutrition, unable to extend his limbs, and showing signs of severe distress. A police detective noted the child’s rib cage was visible, and he exhibited a misshapen head and a pronounced spinal curvature.
Authorities later confirmed that Jarvey lived in the hotel with her two children, including a seemingly healthy ten-year-old daughter. Inside their room, investigators found cans of expired Pediasure that Jarvey claimed were used to feed her son. Medical evaluations revealed that the boy’s weight placed him in the less than first percentile for his age and gender, and alarmingly, he had weighed more at just 18 months old.
Upon being admitted to Cook Children’s Medical Center, the child was diagnosed with severe malnutrition, failure to thrive, and multiple forms of neglect. Medical staff described his condition as one of the worst cases of neglect they had encountered, underscoring the seriousness of the situation.
Jarvey was arrested on October 14, 2022, and has since been held at the Wichita County Jail on a $70,000 bond. Her attempts to lower the bond and plea for probation were denied. Originally, her trial was scheduled to begin in August 2024, but various delays, including a motion for continuance from her defense due to the volume of case documents, pushed back the proceedings. The case was moved to the 78th District Court, and after further rescheduling, a new trial date was set for September 22, 2025.
The prosecution, led by Assistant District Attorney Chelsea Carlton, anticipates the trial will take at least two weeks, with around 90 witnesses summoned to testify. Defense attorneys Stephen Holland and Kiara Vaughters will represent Jarvey, who has opted for the jury to determine her punishment if found guilty. Conviction could lead to a life sentence.
This case has raised significant concerns about child welfare and parental responsibility, with its disturbing details shining a light on the issues of neglect and exploitation within families.
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