CLEVELAND — A Cleveland mother was indicted by a Cuyahoga County grand jury on charges that she severely neglected her three children, including a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the death of her 2-year-old son from what prosecutors called an untreated medical condition.
Niesha Walls, 33, was indicted on a count of involuntary manslaughter, a count of felonious assault and three counts of endangering children, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O'Malley's office announced Thursday.
Noell Walls, Niesha Walls' 2-year-old son, was found dead in his mother's home on Aug. 6 after Cleveland police and EMS responded to a welfare check on the mother's apartment near Anita Kennedy Avenue and Kinsman Road in Cleveland. Police said the house was in "deplorable conditions" and the boy was found "unresponsive." According to O'Malley, Noell Walls had a medical condition that was allegedly left untreated.
Walls' two other children, 9 and 11, appeared "severely malnourished" and were treated at a hospital following the welfare check, according to O'Malley's office.
“It is unimaginable to think a mother would do nothing while her children starved,” O’Malley said. “The number one duty of a parent is to provide care for their children and Niesha Walls failed in that duty. We will do everything in our power to get justice for Noell.”
According to the indictment, one of the counts of endangering children dates back to an alleged incident in 2022, while the others are from 2014 and 2012. The felonious assault charge stems from an incident in which the grand jury charged Walls with causing "serious physical harm to a victim in 2014.
Walls will appear in court to answer to the charges at a later date.
