Macomb County parents to stand trial in starvation death of 2-year-old

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The parents of a 2-year-old boy from Clinton Township were bound over to Macomb County Circuit Court in connection with the boy’s death.

Update: Macomb County man pleads no contest in starvation death of 2-year-old son

According to authorities, the parents found their biological son dead in his crib in March 2023. The child was examined by a coroner, who determined that he had died from starvation.

26-year-old Sierra Pearl Zaitona and 28-year-old Jonathon Matthew Cheek were both charged with second-degree murder and second-degree child abuse. They were held on a $1 million bond because prosecutors felt the couple were a flight risk.

On Wednesday, March 20, a judge determined there was probable cause and the two were bound over to Circuit Court for further proceedings.

The parents are scheduled to return to court April 8.