BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A Bucks County mother has been sentenced to one to two years in prison for neglecting her premature twins.
The twins were born at 32 weeks on Oct. 7, 2024. Once they were released from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, doctors required regular weight check-ins.
Prosecutors said the parents — Courtney Soyka, 33, and Marcus Maddela, 45 — missed four appointments, and when the babies were brought in for a check-up in December, they had each only gained a little over a pound, weighing in at 5.78 pounds and 5.04 pounds.
The babies were transferred to St. Christopher’s Hospital in Philadelphia, where they gained weight after just three days of routine formula feedings.
Doctors determined the infants had no illnesses and were malnourished due to insufficient caloric intake. Prosecutors said that could have been avoided had the twins been taken to the scheduled follow-up appointments.
Soyka pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of child endangerment. Mandala pleaded guilty in October and was sentenced to eight to 23 months in county jail.