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Wilkinson County couple indicted on murder charges in 12-year-old daughter's death

After she died last August, an investigator called the girl's condition one of the worst she's ever seen.

WILKINSON COUNTY, Ga. — A Wilkinson County grand jury has indicted two parents accused of killing their 12-year-old daughter on one count of murder and two counts of child cruelty.

The indictment says John Joseph Yozviak and Mary Katherine Horton failed to provide proper medical care for their daughter, Kaitlyn Yozviak.

The GBI says the girl suffered from a severe lice infestation that may have caused her death.

After she died last August, an investigator called the girl's condition one of the worst she's ever seen.

In January, a judge set $100,000 bond for Horton and Yozviak. They remain in the Wilkinson County jail. No trial date has been set.

BACKGROUND

DFCS documents show that Kaitlyn’s two brothers were removed from Horton and Yozviak’s home because of unsanitary conditions.

In 2008, DFCS opened another case against the pair, around the time Kaitlyn was born, after they decided not to give her up for adoption.

The agency didn’t receive any reports on the family until 2018 where files show a call indicating the home was “bug-infested, [with] excessive cats, and hazardous conditions.”

Kaitlyn was briefly placed with her aunt, and returned to her parents’ home six days later.

The agency didn’t hear from the family again until after she died. The last entry in the file is heavily redacted and concerns a conversation between GBI and DFCS.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Entomology experts discuss effects of lice infestation after death of 12-year-old Wilkinson County girl

DFCS documents show case history of 12-year-old Kaitlyn Yozviak

'We never imagined it would end like this': Couple who planned to adopt Kaitlyn Yozviak speaks after her death

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