There’s a news story here in metro Atlanta that’s been making the rounds this week, and while it’s tragic, I sort of dismissed it as just that: sad, but what can you do? Personally, as someone who wants children but doesn’t have and may never have them, it disgusts me even more when kids are treated as if they’re disposable. However, I also recognize that, unfortunately, there will always be stories of bad parents doing bad things.
But the more I’ve heard about this case, the angrier it’s made me — not so much at the mom of these kids, but at the already bloated bureaucracy that let them fall through the cracks.
Sherry Diane Magby, 37, of Douglasville, Ga., has six children, ages one to 10 years old. Last month, she left the kids home alone for at least 12 hours with no food. It’s not clear if this was something she did regularly, but based on what their neighbors say, I am under the impression that she did. That said, I can’t confirm that. The 10-year-old was left in charge of his siblings, ages one, two, four, six, and eight.
One day in March, first responders were called to the home for a “cardiac arrest.” It’s not clear who made the call. When they arrived, they found the kids alone, the house in disarray, and smelled something terrible coming from the home. Neighbors say the youngest was put inside an ambulance, but the vehicle didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get anywhere. As it turns out, the one-year-old had died. An investigation into what exactly caused the death is underway.
The 10-year-old told police that his youngest siblings were eating roaches and ants because they were starving.
Magby was arrested on April 2 and charged with six counts of cruelty to children. She’s currently being held without bond. She made her first court appearance on Monday.
Neighbors were devastated. One woman said that her husband gets home from work around midnight, and she’s seen the kids out playing in the yard that late or later in the past. Others have said that they would have pitched in had they known about the situation. They say they would have provided food for the kids at the very least. There was even a community outreach center “just steps” away from the home.
Ken Howell, who works at the center, was devastated by the news, as well, according to WSB. “I just don’t understand how that could be that close and knowing we’re right here,” he said. He said all they had to do was stop by, and the center could have helped them.
So like I said, awful story. But they’re a dime a dozen. What makes this one unique?
As it turns out, this mother wasn’t exactly off the state’s radar. In 2023, she was accused of stabbing a child in the back with a knife and then throwing the knife at the child as it ran away. Some media outlets are saying it was one of her children, while others just generically say “a child,” but either way, she was supposed to go to trial on May 11 of this year because she faces charges of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and cruelty to children. She was released on bond for that case.
I am very much a small government person, and I especially don’t like the government telling people how to parent their children. But once you’re caught literally stabbing one and have all these charges of assault, battery, and cruelty to children brought against you, why in the hell do you still have children in your custody?
All of these services we keep throwing money at are supposed to protect children, but it did absolutely nothing for these poor kids.
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