Aunt charged with murder, child abuse in death of Lansing 6-year-old

LANSING — Christopher Pratt died just 11 days before his seventh birthday. 

He weighed only 29 pounds — half of what a healthy boy his age should have weighed, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

He'd lost a "tremendous amount of weight" in the months leading up to his death, Ingham County Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mike Cheltenham said. 

Christopher died from a combination of blunt force trauma and neglect a year after being placed in the custody of his aunt, 29-year-old Jessica Bice, Cheltenham said

Bice is now facing murder and first-degree child abuse charges in connection with his death.

Lansing police were called just before 2 p.m. on Aug. 17 to his aunt's home on a report that Christopher was not breathing, Lansing Police Public Information Director Robert Merritt said. 

Emergency crews were not able to resuscitate him, and police began an investigation into his death, Merritt said. 

Bice, 29, was charged Wednesday with murder and first-degree child abuse. She was arraigned Thursday and is being held in the Ingham County Jail with no bond. 

She did not have an attorney listed in court records Friday. 

Christopher was removed from his father's custody in August 2017 after CPS determined there was evidence of physical abuse and neglect, according to court records.

He was placed in Bice's care because living with relatives often provides more stability for the child, Bob Wheaton, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said. 

Wheaton said he could not comment further on Christopher's death. 

Ingham County Sheriff's Office Capt. Greg Harris said Pratt's father, Zachary Pratt, was charged with child abuse. His sentence was non-public, and the prosecutor's office is not allowed to discuss it, Cheltenham said.

The Ingham County Sheriff's Office responded to the Pratt home in August 2017 for a report of a large, hand print-shaped bruise spanning Christopher's right face, neck and shoulder, according to CPS records. A trauma doctor said his injuries were superficial, according to court records.

Bice's next scheduled court date is a probable cause conference June 20. 

Contact reporter Kara Berg at 517-377-1113 or kberg@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @karaberg95.