South Dakota mother sentenced after letting her disabled son ‘rot’ in motel room

RAPID CITY, S.D. (TCN) — A woman will spend over a decade behind bars after her son and another child were neglected, malnourished, and exposed to drugs while in her care.

The Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office announced June 2 that Naomia Prairie pleaded guilty to child abuse and abuse or neglect of a disabled adult. A judge subsequently sentenced her to 12 years in prison.

According to prosecutors, Prairie’s 18-year-old son, Donny Merrival, a quadriplegic, weighed just 80 pounds when he died from extreme neglect. Chief Deputy State’s Attorney Gina Nelson said the doctor who performed the autopsy “compared Merrival’s body to that of a Holocaust victim.”

The defendant reportedly exposed Merrival to illegal drugs and failed to feed or bathe him, and he was “ultimately left to ‘rot.'”

According to the state’s attorney’s office, Merrival died in the motel room where he, Prairie, and a 7-year-old child were staying. Prairie reportedly failed to contact authorities after her son’s death and fled.

Prosecutors noted that Merrival became quadriplegic at 14. The Department of Social Services took custody of him until he was 18.

The 7-year-old victim in Prairie’s care had reportedly never been enrolled in school. Authorities said the child was malnourished “and had been taught to use methamphetamine by other adults.”

Nelson said the 7-year-old has been making “significant progress” since being removed from Prairie’s custody.

In a statement, Nelson said, “This case represents some of the most egregious conduct we’ve ever seen. Two vulnerable individuals, one a child and the other a severely disabled adult, were entirely dependent on Ms. Prairie for care and safety. Instead, she subjected them to unimaginable suffering and neglect.”

The judge who imposed the sentence called the case “shocking” and “haunting.”

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