Bristol mom charged after tips lead police to malnourished toddler

A woman in Bristol Township has been arrested and charged with neglecting her child after an anonymous tip helped lead police to recover her 27-month-old son, who officials said, was malnourished and neglected.

In a statement on the case, police officials said Breanna Marie Newman was apprehended after officials responded to her Bristol Township apartment on Dec. 16, 2024, after receiving a tip that warned officials that the child needed immediate care.

Police officials said that the Bucks County Children and Youth Social Services agency responded and found the boy “extremely malnourished and in what appeared to be a neglected state.”

After being discovered at the home, officials said, the boy was taken to a local hospital where it was discovered that the child weighed just 19 pounds, the weight of a typical nine-month-old child.

According to police, medical professionals at the hospital reported to officials that the boy’s motor skills had declined, and his decline in health led to low heart rate, low respiratory rate and electrolyte disturbances.

A report from medical professions noted that Newman "made decisions that were in her best interest and not her son’s and never sought out medical attention after his health had declined," law enforcement officials claim.

“This is a terrible case of abuse and neglect,” District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said in a statement on the case. “I commend the citizen who provided the tip to police. I also commend the police and child protective services for their swift response. But for their actions and the intervention by the medical professionals at Saint Christopher’s, one can only imagine just how dire the circumstances could have been for this small victim.”

According to police, an investigation found that Newman had lived in Indiana and moved to Pennsylvania in July to live with a man she met online.

Shortly afterward, officials said, that relationship ended and Newman moved in with another man in Montgomery County.

Then, in November, she and a female friend moved to Croydon in Bristol Township, police officials said.

Investigators claim that Newman's friend noticed her son had dramatically lost weight and his health had been declining and she informed Newman of a medical assistance program, but Newman refused, fearing it could lead to her losing custody of her son.

“There is absolutely no justification for this type of extreme neglect. No child deserves to suffer like this," said Schorn in a statement.

However, since the child has been under the hospital's medical care, officials said, the boy has gained 10 pounds.

Newman was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and is in custody at the Bucks County Correctional Facility under $250,000 bail.