Dead Obese Girl’s Mom Found Guilty Gets Probation, Community Service For Neglecting 680-Pound 13-Year-Old

A mother whose 680-pound, 13-year-old daughter died on a filthy bedsheet surrounded by empty food cartons was sentenced Friday to three years’ probation and community service.

Marlene Corrigan, 49, was found guilty of misdemeanor child abuse in the death of her daughter, Christina, in 1996.

The teenager died of heart failure. She was found nude, filthy and covered with bedsores.

“Christina probably needed a very aggressive parent in her life, and I did fail her there,” Corrigan said. She said that what she has gone through since her daughter died is “the greatest punishment any parent could suffer.”

Corrigan could have gotten six months in prison, but prosecutors did not ask for jail time. In addition to probation, Corrigan was fined $100 ordered to perform 240 hours of community service.

At her trial, the defense portrayed Corrigan as a single working mother overwhelmed by the responsibilities of taking care of two children and her own sick parents.

Corrigan’s lawyers suggested Christina suffered from a rare disorder that causes a raging desire to eat, and argued that her mother did everything she could to help her daughter, including taking her to a doctor 90 times.