Mom ‘obsessed’ with strict diet arrested, accused of feeding baby only fruits and nuts
UNIONTOWN, Pa. — A Pennsylvania woman is facing charges of endangering the welfare of a child after investigators allege her son became malnourished due to her obsession with a strict diet.
According to KDKA, 33-year-old Elizabeth Hawk was arrested after an 11-month-old boy’s father brought the child to authorities and reported his estranged wife had only been feeding the boy fruits and nuts.
“He had a severe rash,” Brandy Hawk, the suspect’s sister-in-law, told KDKA. “It was his motor skills; he couldn’t use his hands at all.”
The mother allegedly blamed her son’s issues on “allergies”, but relatives were unconvinced so they separated the boy from his mother. Brandy Hawk said the boy’s mother has extreme views on nutrition.
“She was going to live on water and sunlight,” Brandy Hawk told KDKA.
Investigators aid the boy was given small amounts of nuts and berries during a time when adequate nutrition is crucial to development. The boy could be delayed developmentally as a result. Visit KDKA for more on this story.