The mother of a girl who wandered into a stranger's home seeking shelter served jail time in the death of another daughter in 1991, according to 2nd District Court records.
Lezlee Magee, 40, and her late husband, Kevin, stood trial for second-degree felony child abuse, after their infant daughter Karissa died in 1991.On Wednesday, the couple's 6-year-old daughter Kayla was placed in state custody after she turned up in the kitchen of Holladay resident Debbie Carlsen, 1549 E. 4500 South, about 8:30 p.m.
Police said the girl showed signs of long-term malnourishment and abuse. She weighed a mere 33 pounds and was dressed only in shorts and a T-shirt.
At their 1991 non-jury trial, the Magee's were convicted of Class B misdemeanor child abuse by 2nd District Judge Rodney S. Page. The crime carried a possible sentence of up to six months in jail.
Page said prosecutors failed to prove the couple intended to harm their daughter in rejecting a conviction on the felony charge, which carried a possible sentence of 15 years in prison. Karissa died three days after being admitted to Primary Children's Hospital in a coma. She had suffered a variety of injuries, including broken ribs, a broken leg and a skull fracture. She also had a history of multiple seizures.
A jail term was stayed for Kevin Magee at the original sentencing, but the judge sent Lezlee Magee to the Davis County Jail because she was the primary caretaker of the child and had a prior criminal record. Page said the couple were negligent in providing appropriate care for the infant.
After widespread reports about Kayla Magee this week, her mother called the Salt Lake County Sheriff's office Thursday night to complain about what she considered unfair news coverage. She also said she didn't think information about her family should be released to the public, Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy Peggy Faulkner said.
Deputies have not been able to find Lezlee Magee, who also is the mother of four other living children -- a daughter, 18, and three boys, 2, 5, and 9.
On Friday, Juvenile Court Judge Kimberly Hornack ordered the state Division of Child and Family Services not to discuss the Magee family with the media.
Carlsen, the accidental guardian angel who found Kayla Magee standing in her kitchen and then called police, said the little girl ate like she was "starving" and had an extended stomach that reminded her of children from third world countries.
"But what struck me about her right away was how polite she was," Carlsen said. "I guess she has her mom to thank for that, anyway."
Carlsen said the girl asked her not to call her mother.