Florida Woman Allegedly Tied Up, Starved 3-Year-Old During Potty Training Difficulties

Police in Florida arrested a woman who allegedly stopped feeding a three-year-old after struggling to toilet train the child, according to The Palm Beach Post.

Authorities reportedly charged Takeia Ann Burns, 31, of Riviera Beach, with aggravated child abuse and child neglect.

On Monday, officers responding to a report of an allegedly abused child visited the home. The officers reportedly became concerned by what they saw and transported a three-year-old and a nine-month-old to a local hospital, the newspaper reported.

During a medical examination, police and hospital staff reportedly noticed ligature marks on the three-year-old.

Cops say Burns allegedly withheld food from the child in an attempt to keep her from soiling her diapers. The three-year-old weighed 22 pounds, authorities said.

Investigators reportedly allege Burns tied the toddler's arms and legs together after she found the child eating from the garbage.

The child reportedly suffered a fractured rib and brain bleed. Police said she looked like a skeleton, according to The Palm Beach Post.

The newspaper reported Burns claimed to the officers that the child "eats all the time."

Burns' relationship to the three-year-old, as well as to four other children reportedly found in the home, is not immediately apparent. Authorities reportedly redacted that information before releasing the police report.

The three-year-old remains hospitalized, The Associated Press reported. Investigators placed the other children with a relative, according to the AP.

Authorities reportedly released Burns from the Palm Beach County Jail on Tuesday.

Read more: The Palm Beach Post, The Associated Press