Bristol Township Couple Jailed After Severely Malnourished Premature Twins Found In Crisis
by Dan Doyle | December 5, 2025
BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA — A Croydon couple is headed to county jail after authorities say they failed to provide the basic care and medical follow-up needed to keep their premature twins healthy, leaving both infants dangerously underweight.
Courtney Soyka, 33, appeared in Bucks County Court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to two felony child endangerment charges. President Judge Raymond F. McHugh sentenced her to a term of one year less a day to two years less a day. Her partner, 45-year-old Marcus Maddela, entered a guilty plea in October and previously received an eight- to 23-month county sentence.
Assistant District Attorney Bridget Murphy told the court the situation was “extremely disturbing,” outlining how the parents repeatedly skipped key medical appointments for their infants. The twins were born at 32 weeks on Oct. 7, 2024, and required close monitoring after their discharge from the NICU.
Investigators said the couple missed four weight-check appointments for each baby. When the infants were finally brought back to the hospital on Dec. 11, 2024, both were severely malnourished and had dropped below the first percentile for their age. One child had gained only about 1.6 pounds since birth; the other just over 1.3 pounds.
The babies were transferred to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, where physicians reported no underlying health problems—only “very poor weight gain.” After three days of consistent formula feeding, both infants began gaining weight rapidly, reinforcing doctors’ conclusions that they were not receiving sufficient nutrition at home.
Medical staff stated the crisis could have been avoided had Soyka and Maddela attended the scheduled follow-up visits.
The investigation was handled by Bristol Township Detective John Jennings. The prosecution was led by ADA Murphy with assistance from former Deputy District Attorney Brittney M. Kern.