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Michigan Adoptive Mother Charged With Manslaughter in 11-Year-Old’s Death

CPS has taken custody of the surviving twin pending the investigation.

Overview

  • Sherry Leak, 55, pleaded not guilty at a Muskegon County District Court arraignment on a 15-year felony manslaughter charge.
  • Prosecutor Matt Roberts said Leak admitted to sitting on Mialah Leak, 11, while the official cause of death awaits autopsy results and further child-abuse charges are under review.
  • Leak is being held on a $100,000 cash surety bond and, if released, is barred from contact with any minors.
  • Fruitport Township police were called Nov. 23 to the family’s Clover Estates home for an unresponsive child, and first responders could not revive Mialah at the scene.
  • The surviving twin, adopted through CPS in 2017–2018, is in state custody, described as medically fragile, with termination of parental rights initiated and a new placement being sought.