Kymberli Bowden

Introduction

Kymberli Tiesha Bowden is a High Point, North Carolina mother and certified nursing assistant who was charged with first-degree murder on October 8, 2026 — nearly a year after her 13-year-old daughter, identified in court filings only as Z.T., was found dead inside the family’s East Farris Avenue home weighing 35 pounds. The upgraded charge followed the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s autopsy, which determined the girl’s manner of death was homicide: acute necrotizing pneumonia and inanition — severe malnutrition and physical wasting — in the setting of caregiver neglect. Bowden had been in custody since October 2025 on two counts of felony child abuse and concealment of death, and remains jailed without bond.

Background Information

Bowden, now 45, was 44 at the time of her October 2025 arrest, and lived with her twin 13-year-old children on East Farris Avenue in High Point, a city of about 115,000 in Guilford County. In court, a prosecutor said Bowden was a certified nursing assistant who was being paid to provide care for the children. Z.T.’s weight had been documented at 63 pounds by her pediatrician on May 5, 2023, and about 65 pounds on December 3, 2024 — meaning, prosecutors said, she lost roughly 30 pounds over the final eight months of her life.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not tried. Bowden faces first-degree murder, two counts of felony child abuse and concealment of death. These are charges, not convictions: she has not been tried, and appears to have made no public statement. The account below is drawn from warrants, prosecutors’ statements in court and police releases.

On October 13, 2025, High Point patrol officers responded to a welfare check at the East Farris Avenue home and found 13-year-old Z.T. dead; her twin brother was found alive inside the house. The High Point Police Department’s Special Victims Unit took over the investigation, and on October 30, 2025 detectives charged Bowden — the mother of both teenagers — with two counts of felony child abuse and concealment of death, setting bond at $1 million. No one else was charged.

The autopsy findings transformed the case. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the girl died of acute necrotizing pneumonia and inanition “in the setting of caregiver neglect,” and ruled the manner of death a homicide. On October 8, 2026, detectives charged Bowden with first-degree murder at the Guilford County Jail, where she was already being held on the 2025 charges; the murder count had been withheld for nearly a year while authorities awaited the medical examiner’s report.

The picture presented in court and in warrants was one of prolonged starvation. Prosecutors said the medical examiner described Z.T. as extremely emaciated — “her hair was matted, dulled and dirty. Her ears were dirty. Her face was gaunt, and the areas around her eyes were sunken” — and said her body was found with an empty feeding tube nearby. The girl died around October 12, 2025, roughly two days before police responded; family members told investigators they had not been allowed to see Z.T. for months, and said Bowden made excuses whenever they asked. Arrest warrants allege Bowden failed to provide both children with adequate food and medical care over a prolonged period, leaving the home “filled with trash, rotting food and unsanitary conditions,” and that she failed to notify authorities of her daughter’s death, leaving the body in the house.

Z.T.’s twin brother survived, but warrants state he had no access to proper nutrition, clothing or sanitary living conditions when authorities found him, and that he has suffered serious psychological harm. FOX 8 reported that call logs show a handful of concerned neighbors had asked police to check on the children in the past, and that before Z.T.’s death a case worker had raised concerns that Bowden canceled repeated appointments.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The case drew regional attention when Bowden appeared in court virtually on the upgraded charges, with the judge advising her she could face life in prison if convicted. Local coverage dwelt on the detail that a caregiver paid to look after the children now stands accused of starving one of them to death, and on the neighbors’ and case worker’s earlier calls that preceded the fatal welfare check. The NY Post’s national writeup, headlined “Ghoulish mom charged in death of starved teen daughter,” carried the prosecution’s description of the girl’s condition to a wider audience. No public defense statement, attorney comment or fundraiser on Bowden’s behalf has been reported.

Current Status

Bowden, 45, is held at the Guilford County Jail with no bond allowed, facing first-degree murder, two counts of felony child abuse and concealment of death. Her next court date is in December 2026. The charges are accusations; she has not been tried, and the case remains pending. Her daughter’s identical twin, now 14, survived.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Bowden’s life is now defined by custody and a potential life sentence: the certified nursing assistant who was paid to care for the twins will answer a first-degree murder charge that carries life in prison. The case has also put High Point’s handling of the earlier warning signs — the welfare calls, the canceled appointments, the pediatric weight records ending in December 2024 — under local scrutiny. For Z.T., the record is stark: a 13-year-old who weighed 63 pounds at her 2023 pediatric visit and 35 pounds at her death, ruled a homicide by the state medical examiner.

Sources

NY Post, “Ghoulish mom charged in death of starved teen daughter who weighed only 35 pounds, had ‘sunken eyes’,” Oct 11, 2026 — source
High Point Police Department press release PDF, “Mother Charged with Murder in Teenager’s Death” / “Mother Charged in Death Investigation,” Oct 8, 2026 — source
FOX8 WGHP, “13-year-old High Point girl weighed 35 pounds when she died, officials say; Mother charged with murder year later,” Oct 9, 2026 — source
High Point Enterprise, “Police charge mother in death of daughter last year,” Oct 2026 — source
The NC Beat, “High Point Mom Kymberli Bowden Charged With First-Degree Murder in 13-Year-Old Daughter’s Death,” Oct 2026 — source
FOX 5 Atlanta / LiveNow FOX, “Mother charged with murder in daughter’s death after autopsy cites neglect,” Oct 2026 — source