CPS involved years before girl starved

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The family of Ebony Berry said she was mentally ill but they didn't think she could starve her daughter to death - and they said they tried to get the Michigan Child Protective Services to take some action.

In Atlanta, Ebony Berry was arrested for what they said is starving her 16-year-old daughter Markea to death.

Two years before she died, she ran away from home and was found inside of a Walmart stealing food. A worker there took her to get some food at McDonalds as she was obviously hungry, 24 Hour News 8 learned.

But her Grand Rapids' family wonders why her health deteriorated since they'd complained to CPS about child abuse and Ebony Berry.

"We all see the results and I think the state should have stepped in long before now," said Markea's grandfather - Ebony's father - Larry Stewart.

24 Hour News 8 learned more than a half-dozen allegations made their way to state investigators since 1999:

-- 1999: Physical Abuse (twice, reports made with CPS)
-- 2001: Mistreatment by her mother
-- 2002: Domestic Violence
-- 2003: Covering Bruises With Makeup
-- 2004: Abuse of Other Children - allegedly put one of her sons in freezing water, hitting Markea with a high heeled shoe.

Of those, only one from 1999 was substantiated.

The family moved out of Michigan after 2004 and moved to Georgia.

Markea Blakely Berry died Saturday and weighed just 40 pounds when she died.