Charles Wayne Ash weighed just 17 pounds when his parents finally brought him to an emergency room. It was too late. Now both parents have pleaded guilty to his murder.
Charles Wayne Ash never saw a doctor. Not once in the two years he was alive. When his parents finally carried him through the doors of an emergency room in Miami, Oklahoma, on September 11, 2024, the toddler was unresponsive — his tiny body so ravaged by starvation that doctors could see the damage had already reached his brain.
He was pronounced dead that same day. He weighed 17 pounds.
His parents — Daniel Ash, 33, and Amber Murphy, 32, a member of the Quapaw Nation — have each pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder in federal court. Ash entered his plea on May 7, Murphy on May 8.
According to a federal autopsy report, Charles showed the devastating physical toll of severe, prolonged neglect. He had “severe muscle wasting,” virtually no body fat, dirty and unkempt nails, and critically low blood sugar. He was dehydrated and anemic. His brain weighed less than that of a typical child his age — a sign of chronic malnutrition from infancy.
“Decorticate posturing” — a reflex position signaling serious brain damage — was observed by doctors when Charles arrived at the ER.
When Ash and Murphy brought Charles to Integris Baptist Regional Health Center, they told staff he was “not feeling well and having difficulty breathing.” What doctors found was a child in complete physical collapse.
The couple was indicted in federal court in March 2025. Ash had also been charged with engaging in a sexual act with a child under 12 — a charge that was dismissed as part of his plea deal. Both parents also face charges related to alleged neglect of their four other children.
Sentencing dates for Ash and Murphy have not yet been set. Second-degree murder in federal court carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Charles was two years old. He never saw a doctor. And in the end, the first time medical professionals ever examined him was the day he died.
