MUSKEGON, Mich. — A Norton Shores mother will head to trial for the murder and child abuse of her teenage son.
Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson confirmed that Shanda Vander Ark, mother of Timothy Ferguson, was bound over to trial on Wednesday.
READ: Mom charged in death of 15-year-old son will undergo competency evaluations
On July 6, 2022, the Norton Shores Police Department responded to a report of a suspicious death, and found 15-year-old Timothy Ferguson dead. When he was found, he was in an ice bath, severely malnourished, and showed signs of abuse. Timothy also had special needs.
“As punishment – for I’m not sure what behavior – but as punishment, our 15-year-old was subject to ice baths, was subject to not being fed food other than bread or bread soaked in hot sauce,” Hilson said in July.
“It’s clear that this wasn’t the first time our victim, this 15-year-old, had suffered at the hands of neglect and abuse.”
On July 8, Shanda Vander Ark was charged in the death of her son.
Later, her older son, Paul Ferguson, was also charged with first-degree child abuse in Timothy’s death.
Vander Ark has a history with child protective services in Oklahoma, where the family lived for a brief time. However, she was never ordered to give up parental rights or contact with her children.
On Wednesday, Hilson confirmed to FOX 17 that text messages were read in court, including messages between Vander Ark and Paul about Timothy’s symptoms being fake.
“Unfortunately, we do see quite a few child abuse cases come through the system. This is, in terms of severity though, certainly with the child actually dying as a result of the neglect or abuse, this is very unusual,” Chief Trial Attorney for the Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office Matt Roberts said in July.
“Certainly, in my years of experience, it’s one of the most heinous and horrific cases that we’ve seen.”
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