Eleven-year-old Mialah Leak had been living in Muskegon County since 2018, a quiet child navigating the world alongside her nonverbal twin sister after the pair were adopted when their biological mother’s parental rights were terminated.
This week, the community is mourning her death—and demanding answers—after police say her adoptive mother fatally restrained her during an altercation at their Fruitport Township home.
Authorities say Mialah lost consciousness after her adoptive mother, 55-year-old Sherry Leak, admitted to sitting on her in an attempt to control her behavior.
Leak called 911 when she realized the girl was unresponsive and attempted CPR, but first responders were unable to revive Mialah. She died at the scene inside the Clover Estates Mobile Home Park.
Her death has prompted a swift and serious response from Muskegon County prosecutors, who have charged Leak with manslaughter. Her bond, originally set at $100,000, was increased to $300,000 as officials signaled that additional charges—possibly including child abuse—are likely. The medical examiner has not yet issued an official cause of death, but investigators say suffocation is suspected based on Leak’s statements.
Mialah’s twin sister has been removed from the home, and Children’s Protective Services is pursuing further court action to ensure her safety.
For those who knew Mialah, the news is devastating. Child advocates say her death highlights the vulnerability of children navigating complex behavioral and emotional needs—and the responsibility adults carry when caring for them. “Any time a child dies in a home where they were supposed to be safe, it forces us to reckon with the systems that failed to protect them,” one child welfare expert said.
As the legal case moves forward—Leak’s next court appearance is set for Dec. 16—the focus remains on Mialah: a young girl whose life ended far too soon, and whose story now fuels a broader call for stronger oversight and support within Michigan’s child welfare and adoption systems.
