Mom admits neglect of daughter

The mother of a Garwood woman whose emaciated body was found clothed in trash bags pleaded guilty to neglect yesterday, authorities said.

Ermina Errico, 62, has been ordered to undergo psychological treatment as a condition of probation, Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow said. She is scheduled to be sentenced in December on one count of third-degree neglect.

Emily Errico, 25, was found dead in her bedroom at the Errico's Second Avenue apartment on Jan. 29, 2007, after a 911 call summoned police to the house.

Responding officers found the 25-year-old wearing sweatpants and a halter top made from a garbage bag. At 5-feet, 7-inches tall, Emily Errico weighed just 97 pounds. A medical examiner later determined she died from anorexia nervosa and malnutrition, according to the prosecutor's office. A Union County grand jury indicted Ermina Errico in August on a charge of third-degree neglect.

In Superior Court in Elizabeth yesterday, Errico admitted controlling her daughter's food consumption.

"Mrs. Errico said that she controlled the food that was prepared for and given to Emily," Assistant Union County Prosecutor James Donnelly, who is handling the case, said in a statement released by the prosecutor's office. "She knew that Emily was suffering from a low body weight and psychological problems. She admitted that she was aware of Emily's weakened state because of malnutrition."

Emily Errico's father has already pleaded guilty to third-degree neglect. He was sentenced to probation and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation, the prosecutor's office said.

"This plea does not bring Emily back, but it ensures that her parents get the help that it appears they desperately need," Romankow said in the statement.

Carly Rothman may be reached at (973) 392-4169 or crothman@starledger.com.