Shirl Lee Sweeney (Charleston County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Office).
A South Carolina woman accused of letting a teen in her care die from lack of diabetes medication allegedly admitted that she let the girl eat something she knew could put her in danger.
Shirl Lee Sweeney, 50, of North Charleston, failed to look after a diabetic 17-year-old girl in her care, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) said in a statement. According to a probable cause affidavit, Sweeney knew for years that the girl, who has not been publicly identified, needed medication to survive, but did not take the necessary steps to make sure she took it.
“In June of 2021, the juvenile victim was diagnosed with diabetes,” says the affidavit, which does not state the relationship between Sweeney and the victim. After multiple canceled and “no-show” medical appointments, the victim was hospitalized in September 2021 for high blood sugar.
“At that time, the defendant was advised that the victim taking her insulin was not optional,” the affidavit says. “This insulin was needed daily in order to help maintain her insulin levels throughout the night.”
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The last time insulin was ordered for the girl, however, was Sept. 20, 2021, according to the affidavit — and the girl “was never taken [] back to her pediatric endocrinologist.”
Doctors and medical staff reportedly told Sweeney “multiple times” that if the girl started vomiting, she should be taken to the hospital immediately, as it could be a symptom of diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially fatal condition in which the body cannot produce enough insulin. Sweeney, who allegedly said that she also had diabetes, “verbalized understanding this,” the affidavit says.
Despite that acknowledgment, Sweeney allegedly did not follow through.
“On August 12, 2022, the victim was seen vomiting by the Defendant,” the affidavit says. “She was not transported to the hospital.”
The following day, Sweeney finally called 911 after finding the girl on her bathroom floor. During that call, Sweeney allegedly indicated that she might have known this would happen.
“While on the phone with 911 dispatch, the Defendant was heard saying, ‘I knew she shouldn’t [have] had that milkshake,’” the affidavit says.
The girl was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
According to medical staff, the teen’s weight had dropped from 136 pounds to 98 pounds.
“The cause of death was listed as hyperosmolar ketoacidosis due to diabetes mellitus,” the affidavit says. “The manner of death was listed as a homicide.”
Police say that Sweeney is directly responsible for the girl’s death and listed the specific ways in which she failed the teen:
The Defendant did not take the victim to her endocrinologist appointments for a year. Prior to the missed medical appointments, the Defendant was educated multiple times and told to take the victim to the hospital immediately if she started to vomit. The Defendant was educated on the victim’s insulin regimen and advised that [not] taking the insulin was not an option. The Defendant constantly stated that the victim would not take her insulin, but as the guardian, the defendant was responsible for making sure the victim took her required insulin and that the victim made it to her medical appointments. The last refill date for the victim’s insulin was in September of 2021.
Sweeney was charged Wednesday with unlawful conduct toward a child. She is currently being held in jail on $40,000 bond and has a court hearing scheduled for Nov. 22.
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