Pennsylvania Mom Got Over $70,000 in Benefits While Daughters Starved to Death

A Pennsylvania mom received more than $70,000 in medical and food benefits between 2016 to 2021 and hid the truth from the authorities that her daughters starved to death.

Marie Sue Snyder has been detained without bail for months for homicide charges following the discovery of the bodies of her daughters, Jasmine Jean Snyder, 4, and Nicole Elizabeth, 6. New charges of theft and deception were brought upon the mother during her preliminary hearing this week after investigators learned that she illegally got $48,703 in public funds for medical assistance and $21,163 from the state's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), per Penn Live.

For both these benefits, Snyder declared that her household had two daughters and a son, Jesse, 8. However, Nicole has been dead since May 2016, and Jasmine died in August 2017.

Jesse Now with Children and Youth Custody

In September 2021, Lycoming County Children and Youth Services (CYS) workers investigated the mother, her girlfriend, Echo Butler, and Butler's parents, Ronald and Michelle Butler, after Jesse failed to attend school regularly. According to North Central PA, the family was reported for neglect of a minor.

Jesse was not yet toilet trained and had a speech problem for his age. An assessment from a medical provider brought forward more concerns about the boy with the CYS.

Income Maintenance Caseworkers have been interviewing Snyder either by phone or in person at least twice a year in the years she filed the false claims for the benefits. She repeatedly told them that there were three kids in her household.

Whenever the staff asked about her daughters, Snyder would tell them that Nicole and Jasmine were staying with a friend who was helping with their homeschooling. Attempts to contact the friend were constantly rebuked by Snyder and Echo.

However, following the discovery of the truth and the detention of the mother and Butlers, Snyder admitted in court that her daughters starved to death as this was her intention and her girlfriend. The pair also physically hit the girls. Nicole died weighing just 10 pounds, while her young sister was five pounds. Snyder and Echo buried their bodies in the backyard.

The Butler parents were also charged in court because they knew what was going on with the children but did not report the parents to the authorities. They have entered a plea of not guilty and were allowed to post bail but have yet to come up with a bond.

Snyder Wrote Letters to Echo Over Her Resentment With Daughters

The investigators also uncovered letters that Snyder wrote to Echo about resenting her daughters. According to Oxygen, she told her girlfriend that she was sick of the girls and wished that she only had Jesse, the family's baby.

However, after Nicole's death, Snyder wrote another letter stating she was in the wrong. While talking to the investigators, Snyder said she treated the girls "horribly."

Ryan Gardner, the Lycoming County district attorney, vowed justice for Nicole and Jasmine. He said this was the "most graphic case of protracted child abuse and starvation" in their community.