Prosecutors say medical findings transformed an initial neglect investigation into a homicide case against the 14-month-old girl’s mother.

HENDERSON, Nev. — A Nevada mother accused of failing to adequately feed or obtain medical care for her 14-month-old daughter is awaiting trial on murder and child-abuse charges after an autopsy concluded the girl died from starvation, turning what authorities initially examined as a possible neglect case into a homicide prosecution.

Alivia Bree Thrift, 26, has pleaded not guilty to murder and child abuse, neglect or endangerment resulting in substantial bodily harm in the March 24 death of her daughter, Evangelina Thrift. The girl, known as Eva, weighed about 9 pounds when she died, according to court testimony reported by news organizations that reviewed police records and grand jury transcripts. Prosecutors say the evidence shows a prolonged deprivation of food rather than an isolated medical emergency. Thrift remains jailed without bail, and her jury trial is scheduled for March 2027. A trial readiness hearing is set for Oct. 22.

The case changed substantially after investigators received the autopsy findings. Authorities initially considered whether Evangelina’s death might have resulted from neglect or an unrecognized medical problem, according to accounts of a July court hearing. The Clark County medical examiner ultimately ruled the death a homicide caused by starvation. Deputy District Attorney Brianna Lamanna told the court that the child’s heart and other organs showed the effects of prolonged malnutrition. Prosecutors have since argued that the condition did not develop suddenly and that the physical evidence supports an allegation that Evangelina was intentionally deprived of adequate food over an extended period. Those claims have not been tested at trial.

Medical testimony before the Clark County grand jury became central to the murder charge. Medical examiner Nathan Shaller testified that Evangelina’s organs showed severe malnourishment and dehydration and that her body had consumed its own reserves as the shortage of calories continued. He described evidence in the girl’s bone marrow and other tissues that prosecutors say reflected extreme nutritional deprivation. Testimony also indicated that Evangelina was born weighing about 5 pounds and had gained only about 4 pounds during the next 14 months. Her weight at death was in the lowest range for girls her age and comparable to that of a much younger infant, according to the reported testimony.

The examination also documented skin injuries and insect bites that investigators connected to conditions inside the Henderson apartment. Police reported finding trash, empty containers and insects in the residence. A crib, bassinet and car seat had dried vomit on them, according to a police report quoted by news outlets. Shaller testified that some of Evangelina’s sores appeared consistent with prolonged contact with bodily waste, vomit or spoiled milk. Those details form part of the state’s broader neglect allegation, although the murder case rests principally on the medical examiner’s conclusion that starvation caused the child’s death.

Investigators arrived at the apartment during the early morning hours of March 24 after Thrift’s half-sister, Robin Yager, called 911. Yager told grand jurors that she had received increasingly urgent calls and went to the apartment because of concerns about Evangelina’s condition. According to her testimony, Thrift did not allow her inside but brought the child out. Yager said the girl’s coloring and physical condition immediately led her to believe Evangelina had already died. Police records described the child’s body as rigid when responders arrived, indicating that emergency treatment could no longer help her.

Yager’s testimony also gave prosecutors evidence about concerns that allegedly existed before the final night. She told grand jurors that Evangelina frequently spit up formula and that she had suggested the child might have a problem with the formula being used. Yager said she encouraged Thrift to seek medical attention and change the formula, but Thrift resisted. According to the testimony, those conversations became more urgent as Evangelina remained unusually small. Yager testified that on the night before the death she again urged her half-sister to take the girl to a hospital or call 911. Prosecutors cite those warnings in arguing that Thrift knew the child required medical attention.

The defense has not presented its case, and several questions that could become significant at trial remain unresolved in the public record. Among them is whether Evangelina had an underlying condition that contributed to her difficulty gaining weight or repeatedly spitting up formula. Reports of the grand jury proceedings said investigators had little or no medical history available for the child because she had not received regular medical care. Prosecutors contend that the autopsy evidence demonstrates starvation, but Thrift’s not-guilty plea means jurors will ultimately be asked to decide whether the state can prove the charged crimes and the required mental state beyond a reasonable doubt.

The progression from the first response at the apartment to a murder indictment took months. Thrift was initially charged in connection with child abuse, neglect or endangerment after Evangelina’s death. The more serious homicide allegation followed the autopsy and presentation of evidence to a Clark County grand jury in July. That sequence is important because prosecutors have said investigators did not begin with the assumption that the mother had deliberately starved her child. Instead, they say the medical findings, the condition of the apartment, the child’s exceptionally low weight and testimony about earlier requests to obtain care combined to change the direction of the case.

At her post-indictment arraignment in July, Thrift pleaded not guilty. Reporting from the hearing said she acknowledged understanding the meaning of the charges while questioning why they applied to her case. She waived her right to a speedy trial and was ordered to remain in custody without bail. The indictment accuses her of murder and of child abuse, neglect or endangerment resulting in substantial bodily harm. An indictment is an accusation rather than a finding of guilt, and prosecutors will have to establish each element of the charges before a jury if the case proceeds to trial.

For prosecutors, the anticipated trial is likely to center on how medical and circumstantial evidence fit together. The medical examiner’s findings provide the state’s explanation of how Evangelina died. Police descriptions of the apartment address the conditions in which the child was living. Yager’s testimony concerns what Thrift allegedly knew about her daughter’s worsening condition and what relatives urged her to do. Prosecutors have said they believe those pieces show prolonged and knowing deprivation. The defense will have an opportunity to challenge the medical conclusions, witness accounts, inferences about intent and other evidence before jurors.

As of Sept. 9, no verdict has been reached and no criminal liability has been established. Thrift remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Her next reported court date is the Oct. 22 trial readiness hearing, with jury proceedings scheduled for March 2027. Until then, the case remains a pending prosecution built largely around the autopsy findings that moved investigators from examining possible neglect to alleging that Evangelina’s starvation amounted to murder.

Author note: Last updated September 9, 2026.