CLARKSVILLE, TN – A mother accused of starving her disabled son to death appeared before a Montgomery County jury this week, as prosecutors recounted disturbing details of the 13-year-old’s final months.
Cheyenne Maddox, 35, is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child neglect following the 2022 loss of Kadaris Maddox. Should she be convicted, she faces a possible life sentence or even the death penalty under state law.
Testimony revealed first responders arriving at the Maddox residence on July 6, 2022, confronted a chaotic and unkept environment. Police described the interior as strewn with debris to the extent that floor surfaces were barely visible. Among several children inside, officers found Kadaris unresponsive. He was declared dead within minutes.
Authorities described Kadaris’ bedroom as sparse, containing little beyond basic bedding, a drying rack, and some electronics. A wheelchair, apparently unused for some time, was discovered outside, exposed to the weather.
Kadaris, who lived with cerebral palsy, was described by his medical team as mentally alert and looking forward to the future. Yet his physical deterioration in the year prior to his death shocked medical professionals and investigators. Records show his weight dropped from 47 pounds during his last doctor’s visit to just 35 pounds when he died.
One police officer, the first on scene, told the court that Kadaris appeared emaciated, “skin and bones,” as he recounted the condition of both the boy and the house. Additional children reportedly resided in the home, leading to concerns about their welfare and prompting multiple counts of aggravated child neglect beyond Kadaris’ case.
Although Maddox was initially released after posting bond for the neglect charges, the scope of the investigation expanded. Subsequent autopsy findings and further evidence led prosecutors to add a murder charge later that year.
During court proceedings, the prosecution asserted that the level of malnutrition suffered by Kadaris was the direct result of severe neglect. In gripping testimony, medical professionals stated malnutrition and starvation as the clear causes of death.
The consequences were felt beyond the courtroom. Dawn Maddox, Cheyenne’s mother and Kadaris’ grandmother, spoke candidly about her heartbreak, recalling her grandson’s ability to bring joy to those around him and the anguish she felt confronting her daughter’s alleged role in his death.
A community memorial took place in November 2022, offering friends and family an opportunity to celebrate Kadaris’ memory. Those closest to him remembered him as a radiant and kind-hearted child.
As the trial continues, emotional moments have played out among jurors, some moved to tears by the evidence presented. The Maddox case continues to headline a community struggling to come to terms with the tragedy, as the court weighs the future of the accused mother.