A Nevada woman accused of causing the starvation death of her 14-month-old daughter pleaded not guilty to murder and child abuse charges during a court hearing Thursday.

The defendant, identified as Alivia Bree Thrift, 26, faces one count of murder and one count of child abuse, neglect or endangerment resulting in serious bodily injury, after a grand jury indicted her last week.

According to the prosecution, the girl, Evangelina Thrift, died on March 24 weighing just nine pounds, equivalent to that of a baby between zero and three months old.

During the hearing, Thrift stated that he had read the charges against him, although he questioned the motive for the accusation.

“I understand the meaning of the charges, but not why they apply in this case,” he said before the judge, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The defendant waived her right to a speedy trial and will be held without bail.

The Prosecutor's Office maintains that the minor died after a prolonged process of starvation

According to Deputy Prosecutor Brianna Lamanna, the investigation changed course after the prosecutor's office received the autopsy report and a doctor's testimony before the grand jury.

The Clark County coroner ruled the child's death a homicide caused by starvation.

The prosecutor explained that Evangelina's body showed obvious signs of extreme malnutrition.

“You could see his bones, his face was sunken and his heart, along with several organs, showed the effects of prolonged starvation,” Lamanna argued in court.

According to the accusation, the food deprivation process would have occurred between January 2025 and March 2026.

Prosecutors believe they have evidence to prove that the minor was intentionally deprived of food.

The investigation intensified after the autopsy

Initially, authorities considered the possibility that the death had been a result of negligence or the mother's lack of knowledge about the girl's medical condition.

However, that hypothesis changed after the conclusions of the autopsy were known.

During the arraignment hearing held last week, a doctor described the case as “a clear example of continuous starvation” that lasted until the minor's body began to deteriorate.

The prosecution also stated that Thrift's relatives had insisted on several occasions that she seek medical attention for the girl, but that she refused to take her to a health center.

At the moment, Thrift remains held without the possibility of obtaining bail and her jury trial has been scheduled for March 2027.