Credit: Bucks County District Attorney’s Office
A Bristol Township couple has been charged with felony child endangerment after their newborn premature twins were hospitalized for severe malnourishment.
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Courtney Soyka, 32, and Marcus Maddela, 45, of the Croydon section of Bristol Township, are each charged with two counts of felony child endangerment and conspiracy, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
The probe by Bristol Township police began in December 2024 after authorities received a referral from Bucks County Children and Youth concerning the twins, who were born prematurely at 32 weeks on Oct. 7. The infants were initially cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) until their release to their parents.
On Dec. 11, the twins were brought back to the hospital and looked to be severely underweight for their age after missing four scheduled medical appointments each, authorities said.
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According to authorities, the missed appointments were crucial for monitoring the twins’ weight due to their premature birth.
At the hospital, both babies were below the first percentile for their age. One twin, who weighed 4.16 pounds at birth, weighed only 5.78 pounds in December. The other twin, born at 3.74 pounds, weighed 5.04 pounds when readmitted, authorities said.
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The twins were transferred to St. Christopher’s Hospital in Philadelphia.
After three days of care, the babies showed improved weight gain compared to their progress at home, which a St. Christopher’s doctor indicated was consistent with insufficient caloric intake, authorities said.
The doctor also noted both twins presented with “very poor weight gain” without other signs of illness, and their conditions improved dramatically with routine formula feedings, according to investigators.
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Authorities said the physician noted that the insufficient weight gain could have been addressed earlier had the twins attended their scheduled pediatric appointments.
Both children have been relocated to a foster home, police said.
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Soyka and Maddela were arraigned by District Judge Terry Hughes and remanded to Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $500,000 bail.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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