A ‘Mummified’ Child’s Body Was Found in a Memphis Hotel Room — and Her Mom Is Now Charged

Published On:

A Memphis mother has been arrested after deputies discovered her daughter’s mummified body inside a hotel room, authorities say.

Kimberly Moore


, 46, was taken into custody on

July 11

and charged with

abuse of a corpse

and

failure to report a death

, according to a criminal affidavit obtained by

PEOPLE

.

Deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office responded to the

Home Inn Suites

in Memphis after the hotel manager reported that Moore had made unusual claims, including that her husband owned the hotel and she was there to “make sure employees were doing their job.”

When deputies arrived, Moore allegedly repeated those statements and appeared to be suffering from a mental health crisis. Officers noticed a strong odor coming from her room. When they entered, they discovered the body of

Chloe Moore

, her daughter, lying in the bed —


unresponsive, cold to the touch, malnourished, and showing signs of mummification

.

The medical examiner later determined that the child’s body had been in that condition for “quite some time,” showing signs of dehydration and decay. Flies were also found surrounding the remains.

During questioning, Moore reportedly refused to cooperate and declined to give a formal statement. Instead, she allegedly told investigators that

her daughter was still with her and that “God is with her and her daughter.”

Authorities concluded Moore may have been hallucinating and in a state of mental crisis.

She is currently being held in jail, and a

bail review hearing

is scheduled for

July 15

.

If you suspect child abuse, contact the

Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline

at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) or visit

www.childhelp.org

. The hotline is confidential, toll-free, and available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

Leave a Comment