Muballigh
Moody
XENIA — A Fairborn mother was sentenced to prison for her role in what prosecutors called an extreme case of child abuse.
Rabyah Nadhirah Muballigh, 26, was sentenced to 7-10.5 years in prison July 25 by Greene County Common Pleas Court Judge Adolfo A. Tornichio after pleading no contest to one count of felonious assault, a felony of the second degree, and one count of endangering children, a felony of the third degree.
The offenses are allied offenses, meaning that although Muballigh was found guilty of both felonies, she was only sentenced for one, the most serious offense, felonious assault.
According to a release from Greene County Prosecuting Attorney David D. Hayes, during the early afternoon of Jan. 8, Fairborn Police and Fire Dispatch received a 9-1-1 call from a woman claiming to be “Ariella Simpson.” The caller reported that a two-to-three-year-old child was at an apartment in the 300 block of Wallace Drive, and was having difficulty breathing.
Officers with the Fairborn Police Department and Firefighters/Paramedics with the Fairborn Fire Department were immediately dispatched to the location. No one answered the door when officers knocked and based upon the emergent nature of the call, officers entered the apartment, which was covered in filth and contained a litany of insect infestations, the release said.
Upon entering a back bedroom, officers discovered the victim, a three-year-old child, lying on the ground next to a bed. The child was in a contracted position and wearing nothing but a diaper. Officers approached the child and determined, after the child gasped for air, that she was alive. Paramedics immediately removed the child where she was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The child arrived in critical condition and was moved to the intensive-care unit. Treatment providers observed the child to be extremely malnourished, weighing only 16 pounds. She was also found to have been suffering from numerous insect bites and many other medical complications brought about by her mother, Muballigh, according to Hayes.
After speaking with Muballigh by phone, she agreed to return to Fairborn and was immediately placed under arrest. Muballigh admitted to being the 9-1-1 caller, using a fake name when speaking with dispatch, that she knew about the condition of her daughter, and that she had only taken her child once to see a pediatrician.
On Jan. 17, a Greene County Grand Jury indicted Muballigh, who initially entered pleas of not guilty. Muballigh later underwent a forensic evaluation to determine her competence to stand trial. On March 19, Tornichio found Muballigh competent to stand trial.
“This is the worst case of child abuse I’ve seen in my 22-year career,” Hayes said. “Muballigh is going to prison for several years, as she should. Her primary responsibility was to care for that child and she failed to do that and caused that child serious physical harm. Many parents feel overwhelmed and many parents need help. If you find yourself in a situation where you can’t handle it, reach out to the many organizations that can provide assistance.”
The victim remained in the hospital for several weeks before eventually being discharged to continue her care and recovery. The biological father, Corey Michael Moody, 29, also of Fairborn, was indicted by the Greene County Grand Jury on July 17, with one count each of endangering children, obstructing justice, and tampering with evidence, all felonies of the third degree. Moody was arrested on July 22, and remains in jail in lieu of bail in the amount of $100,000. Moody is scheduled to go to trial on Oct. 7.
The state also expressly reserved the right and ability to prosecute Muballigh in the future for homicide-related offenses, in the unfortunate event that the child dies, Hayes said.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Greene County Prosecuting Attorneys Jessica A. Zeigler and Christian M. Cavalier, who were assisted by Victim Advocate Omni M. Cox.
