Warrant issued for Danieal Kelly's father

A man charged with contributing to the starvation death of his disabled daughter is being sought by authorities after missing a court hearing Monday.

The 2006 death of Danieal Kelly, who weighed 42 pounds at age 14 and suffered from maggot-infested bedsores, outraged the public and led to the ouster of two top city officials. Criminal charges were ultimately filed against her parents and numerous social workers and contractors.

Daniel Kelly did not live with his daughter but was charged with felony endangerment for abandoning her in the chaotic home of her unfit mother. Andrea Kelly eventually had nine children living in the squalid home, including Danieal, who could not walk due to cerebral palsy and rarely left the house.

Her mother is serving a 20- to 40-year state sentence for third-degree murder. Several social-work contractors received long federal prison terms for skipping home visits.

A defense lawyer said he feared the father missed Monday's hearing because he was worried about getting a similar sentence. But he said the father's case was different.

"He didn't do anything to the young lady. He wasn't living there," lawyer Earl Kauffman said. "The question is - as far as the information he may have had from other people, from relatives - did he do what he should have done or could have done? He has a defense to that. That's why I'm sort of disappointed." Kelly's trial is scheduled for late June.