Newly released court documents in Oklahoma provide more information about the horrific death of a 7-year-old girl who was starved and beaten by multiple family members.
According to court records , the victim’s parents, Anthony Yonko and Lisa Mitchell, as well as the victim’s aunt and uncle, David Yonko and Tiffany Mitchell, were arrested in August and charged with second-degree murder in the death of young Violet Mitchell.
Anthony Yonko and Lisa Mitchell are also facing first-degree murder charges, while David Yonko and Tiffany Mitchell have been charged with child neglect.
Violet died after swallowing the “rubber top of a baby bottle nipple” that completely blocked the first part of her small intestines, according to a recently filed autopsy report obtained by Oklahoma City ABC affiliate KOCO.
The autopsy report from the Oklahoma City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner also stated that the 7-year-old victim had “sunken eyes,” weighed only 29 pounds, and measured 40 inches in length, describing her as “essentially skin on bone.” She was brought to the hospital on the morning of August 2, 2024, wearing a diaper sized for a three-year-old.
Violet’s cause of death was listed by the medical examiner as “failure to thrive.”
“It is unclear to this examiner if the intestinal obstruction by the foreign body is accidental or intentional,” the medical examiner’s report states.
As previously reported officers from the Midwest City Police Department’s Investigations Unit responded to a call from the county medical examiner’s office about a child brought to Saint Anthony’s Midwest Hospital’s emergency room around 1:08 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. The victim was taken to the hospital in a personal vehicle around 11:28 a.m. and pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
According to medical personnel who treated the child, she “had signs of rigor mortis and possible injuries internal and external.”
“[A doctor] stated when working on the child numerous amounts of black and dark red secretions came from the child’s mouth when pushing on her stomach area,” the affidavit says. “The child was extremely malnourished weighing only about 25 pounds and approximately 37 inches tail.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the average weight of a female child that age is around 50 pounds.
Anthony Yonko told police that he, Lisa Mitchell, and their children were staying at the Vista Green apartments on the 7000 block of E. Reno Avenue, approximately seven miles east of Oklahoma City. According to police, the father’s story changed over time.
According to the affidavit, Anthony Yonko initially claimed to have fallen asleep around 9 p.m. on August 1, while Lisa Mitchell and the victim slept on a small couch in the same room.
He said he awoke around 9 a.m. the next day and Lisa Mitchell informed him that the victim was “not moving, was sick, and needed to go to the hospital.”
Anthony Yonko claimed that his “friend” took him, Lisa Mitchell, and the victim to the hospital, but he could not provide the friend’s name or phone number.
He also stated that they had been feeding the victim “crackers and soup because she possibly had the flu,” despite having not seen a doctor since the girl was “much younger.”
Police arrested Anthony Yonko and took him to Midwest City Jail, where he was read his Miranda rights and allegedly agreed to speak with detectives again.
“During the interview Anthony changed his story numerous times stating the only people in the apartment were him, Lisa and (the victim),” said the affidavit from the police.
“He later stated that Lisa’s sister, boyfriend, and two or three other children were in the apartment when he woke up this morning and Lisa told him that (the victim) was not moving. Anthony stated that Lisa was playing with (the victim) this morning but later stated that she was not moving.”
When asked about his daughter’s emaciated condition, Anthony Yonko allegedly claimed that the victim weighed 50 pounds only four or five days before and was “completely healthy,” adding that he “feeds the child all of the time.” He didn’t explain why she weighed only 25 pounds and was “very unhealthy” when she died.
Anthony Yonko went on to say that his brother, David Yonko, was the one who drove him and his family to the hospital, and that the brother had also been staying at their home.
David Yonko allegedly told police that on the morning of August 2, Anthony Yonko was “freaking out” and that they needed to take him to the hospital. David Yonko claimed he dropped off the parents and child at the hospital and drove away because “he was afraid and needed to get to work.”
Violet’s cousin told authorities that Lisa Mitchell frequently “tied her up with strings/zip ties” and “hit her with a broom,” according to KOCO. Violet’s cousin reportedly stated that she would release her from her binds whenever possible.
According to the cousin, Violet’s parents would also allegedly glue her mouth shut.
According to the report, when “Violet’s mouth was glued shut,” the cousin attempted to “dig glue out of her mouth.”
Lisa Mitchell and Anthony Yonko are currently detained without bond. Tiffany Mitchell is being held on a $5 million bond, while David Yonko’s bond has been set at $1 million, according to records.
Each of the defendants has pleaded not guilty.
