Maryland Parents Sentenced After Teen Daughter Dies from Neglect in Locked, Unsanitary Home

Dominique and Cynthia Moore of Montgomery County, Maryland, have been sentenced after the tragic death of their 17-year-old daughter due to prolonged neglect, with authorities revealing the couple kept their seven children in isolation and squalid conditions.

Montgomery County, MD — A Maryland couple is facing prison time after investigators uncovered harrowing details of child neglect that led to the death of their 17-year-old daughter in 2022.

Dominique Moore, 47, was sentenced this week to 30 years in prison, with 23 years suspended. According to court records obtained by DC News Now, he will serve seven years behind bars, followed by five years of probation.

His wife, Cynthia Moore, 42, was sentenced earlier this year to 21 years in prison following her conviction for child neglect. She had been acquitted of second-degree murder during trial.

The couple was initially indicted on charges of second-degree depraved heart murder, involuntary manslaughter, and child neglect. Dominique Moore later pleaded guilty to neglect charges in November, avoiding trial.

The case came to light when first responders were called to the Moore family’s home in Montgomery County after Cynthia Moore reported that her daughter was having trouble breathing. Inside the house, medics discovered the 17-year-old girl, weighing just 79 pounds, unresponsive. Despite her mother’s claims that the teen had multiple medical conditions, including multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and a recent COVID-19 infection, she had not been seen by a doctor in more than two years.

According to police, the family lived in appalling conditions. Feces from dogs and cats covered the floor, the refrigerator was padlocked, and the children lacked basic hygiene education. Though the children were homeschooled, court documents revealed that no real instruction was taking place.

Judge Jill Cummins, who presided over the case, described the children as being completely cut off from society. Six surviving minors, ranging in age from 5 to 15 years old, were rescued from the home and placed into the custody of Child Protective Services.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that both Dominique and Cynthia Moore watched their daughter slowly deteriorate and die, ignoring obvious signs of distress and disability. At one point, the teen was reportedly unable to walk, yet the couple did not seek medical intervention.

Tragically, the other children witnessed their sibling’s suffering, creating lasting psychological trauma.

One of the older siblings, now removed from the home, told FOX 5 DC that their sibling "never got to live a life."

"We were supposed to take him to Japan and show him the world. He never got to have friends or go anywhere beyond the movie theater or playground. He just lived his life online — and then he died."

The heartbreaking case serves as a grim reminder of the dangers of prolonged isolation, neglect, and failure to intervene. Authorities urge anyone who suspects abuse or severe neglect to contact law enforcement or Child Protective Services immediately.

If you or someone you know knows a child in danger, contact Montgomery County Child Protective Services or the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).