MERCER, Pa.—The state Superior Court says a judge was justified in terminating the parental rights of a western Pennsylvania man serving 7 1/2 to 15 years in prison in the 2010 death of his 2-month-old son who was malnourished and left outside in near-freezing temperatures.

Twenty-six-year-old Michael Rabold was also charged with endangering the infant's older brothers—now 4 and 5—and lost his parental rights after Mercer County caseworkers determined the boys were thriving in foster care and had no emotional "bond" with Rabold.

Rabold fought that decision, but the appeals court affirmed a judge's decision based on welfare workers who say the boys' foster family plans to adopt them.

The infant's mother, Royanne Darr, is serving a 21 1/2- to 43-year sentence because a judge found her more culpable in the infant's death.

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Information from: The Herald, http://www.sharon-herald.com