High Point, North Carolina — A 45-year-old mother is facing a first-degree murder charge after her 13-year-old daughter was found dead inside their home, following repeated calls to authorities and concerns about access to children living in the residence, according to police.
Kymberli Bowden was charged in connection with the girl’s October 2025 death, the High Point Police Department announced. Investigators also found a 13-year-old boy inside the home who was reportedly malnourished. Bowden has remained in custody since her initial arrest in October 2025.
Police Had Responded to the Home Multiple Times
Authorities said the investigation began after officers were asked to conduct a welfare check at a residence on East Farris Avenue in High Point, approximately 17 miles southwest of Greensboro.
When officers eventually entered the home, they found the teenage girl dead and the boy in a malnourished condition, according to law enforcement.
Bowden was initially arrested on October 30, 2025, and charged with two counts of felony child abuse and one count of concealment of death. She now faces an additional charge of first-degree murder.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by NBC affiliate WXII, investigators alleged that Bowden failed to provide her daughter with adequate food and medical care, resulting in serious bodily injury and death.
The girl’s death was ruled a homicide. An autopsy reportedly identified the cause of death as acute necrotizing pneumonia and inanition, a condition associated with exhaustion, malnutrition or starvation, in the setting of caregiver neglect.
Investigators also described the home’s interior as filthy and unsanitary.
Boy Found in Unsanitary Living Conditions
The investigation extended beyond the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death.
Police alleged that the 13-year-old boy had been allowed to remain in a residence filled with trash, rotting food and unsanitary conditions.
According to authorities, the boy suffered serious psychological injury and mental harm that investigators said constituted serious bodily injury.
The findings raised concerns about the conditions in which the children had been living and whether earlier interventions could have identified the situation before the girl died.
Authorities have not publicly identified the girl, and the available reports do not establish the full history of the children’s circumstances before the investigation began.
Six Service Calls Raised Questions Before the Discovery
Reports indicated that law enforcement received six service calls involving the residence during the month the girl died.
Earlier in October 2025, a woman reportedly contacted police to decline a welfare check that officers had been asked to conduct because of an unusual absence of sounds from children inside the home.
Another concern emerged on the day the girl was discovered.
According to police, a caseworker involved with a medically fragile child contacted dispatch and reported that Bowden had repeatedly canceled visits with child welfare authorities.
Officers initially went to the residence and knocked on the front door. When nobody answered and they heard no signs of activity inside, they left without discovering the girl’s condition.
Hours later, the situation took a more urgent turn.
Family Friend Sees Unresponsive Child Through Window
A family friend subsequently contacted police after seeing an unresponsive child through a window of the residence.
That report prompted another response from authorities. Police officers and firefighters forced their way into the home, where they found the 13-year-old girl dead.
The sequence of events has drawn attention to the repeated contacts with authorities before the discovery, including the unsuccessful welfare check and reported difficulties arranging child welfare visits.
However, the details of the earlier calls do not, by themselves, establish what each responding agency knew at the time or whether officials had sufficient information to take additional action.
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State Agency Responds to the Child’s Death
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement expressing sympathy for those affected by the death.
“Our hearts break for everyone impacted by the tragic death of this child, and our thoughts are with their family, friends and community,” the agency said.
The department also explained that it supports county departments of social services by conducting case reviews of child fatalities involving maltreatment by a parent or caregiver.
Such reviews can examine the circumstances surrounding a child’s death and the services or interventions involved.
Mother Remains in Jail Without Bond
Bowden is being held at the Guilford County Jail without bond, according to the available reports.
The first-degree murder charge follows her earlier charges of felony child abuse and concealment of death. The allegations concern the death of her daughter and the reported conditions affecting the boy found inside the home.
The case remains a stark example of the serious concerns that can arise when repeated welfare-related calls precede the discovery of a child in danger.
What do you think should happen when repeated welfare concerns arise but authorities cannot make contact with the children involved? Share your thoughts in the comments.
