Warwick woman sentenced to 18 years in daughter's death, related charges

Michele Rothgeb speaks in court on Wednesday, December 22, 2021. (WJAR)

A Warwick woman was sentenced Wednesday to a total of 18 years in prison for her role in the death of her adopted daughter with special needs and related charges.

Michele Rothgeb pleaded no contest to manslaughter in August and also admitted to cruelty and neglect charges in connection with seven other children in her care.
 

Nine-year-old Zha-Nae Wilkerson was found in a bathtub in the family's Warwick home in January 2019. She had been left there for eight hours.

Prosecutors said the girl crawled to the tub after vomiting and was briefly helped by a sibling.
 

Prosecutors described the living conditions as a “house of horrors" and that investigators found feces, trash and bugs throughout the house after Zha-Nae’s death.

Under the plea agreement, Rothgeb faced up to 15 years in prison on the manslaughter charge, instead of the maximum 30. She received three years on the other charges.
 

The case lead to a scathing report citing poor oversight by the Department of Children, Youth and Families.