Delco Couple Starved Woman With Down Syndrome Down To 82 Pounds: Court Docs

COLWYN, PA — A woman with Down syndrome weighed only 82 pounds after months of abuse and malnourishment in her cousin's Delaware County household, according to court records Patch obtained.

A woman and her boyfriend were arrested last week after an investigation from the Delaware County District Attorney's Office. In the affidavits, detectives say they isolated the 20-year-old victim from other relatives and only fed her two meals a day consisting of oatmeal and pasta, leading her to lose 50 pounds in two months.

• Related: Woman With Down Syndrome 'Systematically' Malnourished, Beaten By Caretakers In Delco: DA

In April, Yahnae Clegg-Brown kicked the victim out of her house in Colwyn for eating Goldfish from her bedroom. The victim — identified as "J.A." — begged to come back inside for roughly five hours as heavy rain poured down during the 40 degree night, the affidavits say.

Clegg-Brown's boyfriend, Naiyr "Hasan" Sanders, came outside during that time to push J.A. down the concrete steps. Later that night, Sanders punched her in the face and gave her a black eye before shutting the door again, authorities said.

Police arrived around 10 p.m. that night, when an anonymous caller reported that the victim — first believed to be a child — was standing outside crying and may have been locked out. J.A. was brought to the hospital after showing signs of facing abuse and neglect.

Clegg-Brown and her sister took over J.A.'s guardianship after their father, who had long been J.A.'s caretaker, died in November 2023. They moved to Colwyn with the life-insurance payout, taking J.A. and their grandmother with them and separating them from the rest of their family, the affidavits say.

Sanders and several children also lived there.

During the two years they cared for J.A., Clegg-Brown and her sister kept the victim out of school. They also took J.A.'s Social Security checks and didn't regularly bring her to a doctor, despite J.A. having several conditions requiring ongoing care, the affidavits say.

Clegg-Brown kicked her sister out multiple times, most recently in February, authorities said. At that point, Clegg-Brown became J.A.'s sole caretaker.

For most of this time, J.A. was only fed two meals a day consisting of oatmeal, ramen, pasta or another household member's leftovers. Their grandmother was given the same, plus some microwavable frozen meals.

J.A.'s bedroom contained a set of bunk beds without sheets, blankets or pillows, the affidavits say.

Clegg-Brown installed surveillance cameras, including one on the refrigerator, to ensure they didn't "steal" food, investigators said. The footage often showed J.A. eating on the kitchen floor while the rest of the family ate at the table.

The "last straw" came when J.A. ate a bag of Goldfish that she took out of Clegg-Brown's and Sanders's bedroom. The suspects kicked J.A. and the grandmother out of the house in the pouring rain. The victims were later separated, which left J.A. by herself.

J.A. cried and begged outside for several hours. But she was left outside so long that she urinated on herself and showed symptoms of hypothermia, authorities said.

At Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, J.A. appeared malnourished and repeatedly told staff she was hungry. She had marks and sores all over her body.

After the hospital stay, J.A. was placed in a different cousin's care. As of last month, she was back in school and had gained back about 50 pounds. She was also diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes caused by her malnourishment.

Clegg-Brown, 31, and Sanders, 35, were each charged July 7 with:

• neglect of a care-dependent person (third-degree felony)
• misdemeanor neglect of a care-dependent person
• misdemeanor abuse of a care-dependent person

Sanders was also charged with simple assault.

Both remain jailed at Delaware County Prison after failing to post bail, set at 10 percent of $250,000. Preliminary hearings are set for Thursday.

Neither suspect had a listed attorney contact in online court records on Tuesday.