A Gwinnett County man and his adult daughter are being held without bond in a bizarre case of murder and child cruelty.

Police were notified after 44-year-old Calvin Mcintosh brought his deceased 15-month-old daughter to Northside Hospital earlier this week.  When officers went to investigate the extended stay motel where the family was living in Peachtree Corners, they discovered the child's 21-year-old mother, Iasia Sweeting, in a catatonic state.

"This 21-year-old female was wrapped in blankets and laying on the floor and she was in desperate need of medical attention," says Gwinnett Police Cpl. Ed Ritter.  "She weighed just 59 pounds."

He tells WSB's Sandra Parrish both the woman and the child had been starved by Mcintosh's 23-year-old daughter, Najlaa, at the man's direction.

"If they're disobedient, they're to be deprived of food and Nijlaa was the caretaker for everyone in that room," says Ritter.

He says Calvin Mcintosh did not live permanently with the others but would visit and bring them food.

Police removed three other children from the room also suffering from malnourishment.  Two of those are the children of Najlaa and fathered by Calvin Mcintosh.

Ritter says the family was part of the Nuwaubian Nation of Moors, an Islam based cult which is known for being a sovereign group.

None of the children spoke English, but the language of the cult.

Both Calvin and Najlaa Mcintosh face charges of malice murder, felony murder, cruelty to children, and cruelty to a physically disabled adult.  In addition, Calvin is charged with rape, incest, and aggravated sodomy.

Ritter says Sweeting remains in serious condition at Gwinnett Medical Center.