CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that a Cuyahoga County grand jury has returned an indictment charging Niesha Walls, 33, for the death of her 2-year-old son Noell Walls and severely neglecting her two other children in Cleveland.

“It is unimaginable to think a mother would do nothing while her children starved. The number one duty of a parent is to provide care for their children and Niesha Walls failed in that duty. We will do everything in our power to get justice for Noell.”

Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley

On August 6, 2024, the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority with assistance from the Cleveland Division of Police and Cleveland EMS responded to a wellness check on Niesha Walls’s residence near Anita Kennedy Avenue and Kinsman Road in Cleveland. When officers arrived, they noticed the house was in deplorable conditions and her two-year-old son Noell Walls was unresponsive. Noell Walls was pronounced deceased on the scene. Walls’s two other children, 9 and 11, appeared to be severely malnourished and were transported to a nearby hospital.

Further investigation revealed Noell Walls had a medical condition that was left untreated.

On August 22, 2024, Niesha Walls was indicted on the following charges:

  • One count of Involuntary Manslaughter
  • One count of Felonious Assault
  • Three counts of Endangering Children

Walls will be arraigned at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center at a later date.