Wisconsin mom facing charges after teen living in squalor dies from brain infection

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin -- A woman could face up to 20 years in prison after her 14-year-old daughter died from an infection.

The story of Amina Krouser's life is difficult to hear, especially when you consider the conditions she and her siblings were living in, according to a criminal complaint.

Investigators say Aziyza Ababneh is facing a charge of neglecting a child causing death after she would not give doctors permission to perform an emergency surgery to clear an infection on her daughter's brain, WISN-TV reports.

"I've already lost her," Aziyza allegedly said when doctors told her Krouser could die without surgery. She died a week later.

The teen's siblings allegedly told investigators she was getting worse by the day before her death, urinating the bed and experiencing trouble walking and talking, according to the charging document.

Her mother, frustrated by Krouser's declining health, was accused of beating the girl with belts, a paddle and a PVC pipe with duct tape wrapped on one end.

All the while, investigators said the children were living in squalor.

When officers arrived to the family home after Krouser was admitted to the hospital, they reported the home was "very cold, very dirty and smelled of cat urine and human feces."

Inside the home, police found no running water and a "compost toilet," described as a five-gallon plastic bucket where the children used the restroom.

For meals, the children allegedly told investigators they ate baby food, or used a hot plate or votive candles to warm up noodles or rice.

Officially, doctors said the teen suffered from untreated Lemierre's Syndrome. Her death has been labeled a homicide.

The teen's father told WISN-TV he hasn't seen the children in 10 years, but that his ex-wife is a military veteran who could have gotten medical care for the children.