A 3-year-old girl is recovering after authorities said she was starved and abused by her mother and her mother’s boyfriend.

  • Hudson couple arrested, charged with child neglect
  • Kimberly Bedwell's 3-year-old was found unresponsive on Jan. 17
  • Authorities say the child will recover

“The child was discovered to be highly malnourished, had multiple abrasions on her skin, bruises all over her body, she was in very, very bad shape,” said Pasco County Sheriff spokesperson Melanie Snow.

The mom, Kimberly Bedwell, 28, and boyfriend, Eric Sanders, 25, were arrested Wednesday and charged with child neglect, causing serious injury.

The 3-year-old was discovered unresponsive in her Hudson home, off of Sanderling Lane, on Jan. 17. According to the complaint affidavit, doctors cited “severe malnourishment and dehydration” along with a brain-bleeding head injury.

At the home, the family’s roommate said the allegations are just not true.

“They are assuming,” said roommate Le Karter, referring to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. “They are speculating. They are making up stuff.”

Karter said the little girl had a seizure. However, neither Bedwell nor Sanders indicated that in the affidavit.

When deputies asked Bedwell about what happened, she told them that the 'victim’s 2-year-old brother likes to ‘rough house’ and that is probably how she got the head injury,' according to the affidavit.

Authorities say the 3-year-old will recover. According to Pasco County’s Child Protection Investigation Division, all the children involved have been removed from the home and are now in foster care.