PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A Rhode Island woman charged with manslaughter in the death of her 9-year-old adopted special needs daughter now faces seven counts of child neglect or cruelty in connection to the other seven children living in her home.
The Providence Journal reported Tuesday that Michele Rothgeb was released on $10,000 bond after pleading not guilty to the new charges on Nov. 22.
Rothgeb, 56, of Warwick, previously pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in the death of 9-year-old Zha-Nae who died on Jan. 3. She is free on bond in that case.
The girl, who had cerebral palsy, was found unresponsive in a bathtub in what authorities described as a squalid home. Rothgeb told authorities she left the girl in the care of her 15-year-old grandson, who has Asperger’s syndrome, because she had the flu and didn’’t want to risk getting the children sick.
The case led to disciplinary action against several state Department of Children, Youth and Families workers and changes in the way the agency functions.
Messages were left for her attorney.
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