Clermont County mom to be sentenced in death of diabetic child fed mostly Mountain Dew

A Clermont County mother is expected to be sentenced Friday in the killing of her 4-year-old daughter, who prosecutors say died of complications from diabetes after being fed mostly Mountain Dew through a baby bottle.

Tamara Banks, 41, pleaded guilty in March to involuntary manslaughter, according to documents filed in Clermont County Common Pleas Court. Banks and the child's father, 53-year-old Christopher Hoeb, were indicted last summer on counts including murder, involuntary manslaughter and endangering children.

Hoeb also pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and in exchange for the pair's guilty pleas, prosecutors have recommended the remaining charges be dropped.

Hamilton County Coroner's Office records show Karmity Hoeb died at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center on Jan. 25, 2022.

Karmity suffered neglect and abuse for the majority of her life and her parents denied her proper nutrition and medical care, according to prosecutors. The girl's death was a result of diabetic ketoacidosis − a life-threatening complication of diabetes most often associated with Type 1.

Just four days before she died, Karmity started showing signs of a "serious medical issue" while at home with her parents, prosecutors said in a court filing.

Those symptoms worsened as the days progressed, prosecutors said, with Hoeb and Banks not calling 911 until the child turned blue and stopped breathing.

First responders were able to revive the child for a short time before taking her to the hospital, where doctors performed brain scans that showed she was brain dead. An autopsy revealed that Karmity died from a diabetes-related brain injury.

Prosecutors said Karmity lived with undiagnosed diabetes and her death could've been prevented with proper treatment and care.

Karmity also suffered from a condition that caused her teeth to dissolve due to her being fed sugary soda through a baby bottle.

Prosecutors said Banks would often mix baby formula with Mountain Dew, long after Karmity should've been weaned off a bottle, and that investigators were unable to find evidence of the child ever visiting the dentist.

Banks also has several other grown children who were treated poorly in her custody, including a son who fell into a coma at 4 years old from previously undiagnosed diabetes, according to court documents.

While the boy recovered, prosecutors said, Banks continued to neglect his medical needs, failed to have him seen by a doctor and never attended his follow-up visits.

Hoeb and Banks face a maximum possible prison sentence of 11 years. Under a state law that says the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction can extend someone's sentence based on conduct while in prison, the pair could serve up to 16½ years.

Court records show Hoeb is scheduled to appear for sentencing on June 11.

The Enquirer will update this story.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Clermont County mom to be sentenced for death of child fed mostly soda