In a tragic case unfolding in Florida, a 7-year-old boy with spina bifida, who required constant care and medical support, was found dead on Christmas Day, just two days after celebrating his birthday.
Weighing only seven pounds, the circumstances surrounding his death have led prosecutors to charge his mother, brother, grandfather, a home care business owner, and a nurse with responsibility for the child’s starvation, with four of the five facing murder charges of differing severity.
Following the tragic passing of Deonte Atwell, authorities discovered a staggering number of unopened bottles of feeding formula within his residence on Southwest 11th Street in Fort Lauderdale.
This revelation came from the Broward County State Attorney’s Office, which announced significant charges against several individuals, including his mother, Michelle Doe, aged 37, his brother, Tyreck Irvin, aged 21, his grandfather, James Graham, aged 70, and two home care providers, nurse Cassandre Lassegue, aged 33, and Mirlande Moltimer, aged 47, the owner of Samaritin Home Care Provider, Inc.
Officials revealed that the findings indicate Atwell’s “bones were protruding through gaping holes in his skin,” that he “died of severe malnutrition,” that he passed away “during a scheme to defraud Medicaid” of over $10,000 but less than $50,000, and that he might have been “dead for quite some time” prior to a 911 call regarding “respiratory distress” made late on Christmas night.
“The victim was diagnosed at birth as a ‘medically complex child’ with thoracic spina bifida and hydrocephalus, he had a breathing tube and feeding tube and required around-the-clock skilled nursing care,” prosecutors noted, while emphasizing that there were a;;aged;y “264 unopened bottles” of formula at the residence.
Doe, who launched a GoFundMe in January sharing the heartbreaking news of her “baby son’s passing at the age of 7 due to his birth defects” and the struggles they faced, now finds herself facing serious allegations that could lead to a life sentence or more if convicted.
She faces serious charges including first-degree murder, a capital felony, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter related to the death of a child, and neglect concerning two boys aged 9 and 16.
Atwell’s brother, Tyreck Irvin, is dealing with the same charges, but their grandfather is only facing accusations of aggravated manslaughter, child neglect, and failure to report abuse. As a result, he received a bond set at $22,000, which is notably different from his co-defendants.
Two defendants in the home care sector face serious charges, including third-degree felony murder, Medicaid provider fraud, child neglect, and aggravated manslaughter, the latter carrying a potential sentence of up to thirty years in prison if convicted.
Lassegue faces an additional charge of first-degree murder, with detectives reportedly asserting that the victim experienced neglect for a duration ranging from six months to a year. It is alleged that the nurse ceased visiting the home at one point, despite her written claims to the contrary.