A Florida lady has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child after her 5-year-old stepson drowned in a man-made pit.
Authorities claim that while she was meant to be watching over the youngster and his brothers, she was negligent, which is what caused the occurrence. The case has brought up important issues regarding the living circumstances and safety of children.
According to reports, on the day of the incident, 25-year-old Cheyenne Star Fite was in charge of keeping an eye on the 5-year-old boy and his two brothers.
According to police investigations, Fite stated that she had just been away from the kids for a short while folding clothes when she heard a child asking for assistance. But she acknowledged that she didn’t answer the request for assistance right away and carried on folding the clothing.
The boy was found in a man-made hole on the property when Fite allegedly walked outside to see how the kids were doing. She informed police that after removing him from the hole, she called her mother, who resides in a different trailer on the same property, to ask for help.
Nevertheless, an arrest affidavit presents an alternative and quite concerning account of what transpired. Police were told by one of the boy’s brothers that the five-year-old had been punished by being thrown outside naked after he reportedly hurt a chicken.
Although Fite claimed to have been folding laundry at the time of the drowning, the sibling also asserted that Fite had been asleep.
According to reports, the drowning happened in a man-made trench that was excavated to drain water from the property. Court filings state that urine from an adjacent pig pen, feces, and water had all mixed to fill the hole. It was situated enough far from the family’s trailer—roughly a football field—that authorities questioned Fite’s capacity to provide the kids with proper supervision.
Deputies added to the gravity of the matter by pointing out that the trailer’s living conditions were dangerous for kids. Investigators found a number of hazardous materials scattered across the premises, including scrap metal, corroded metal, knives, and animal feces.
These results have sparked further worries regarding the security and welfare of the other kids residing on the property.
Authorities are still looking into the incident, and Fite is being detained at the Osceola County Jail. Discussions concerning responsibility, child welfare, and the significance of creating safe surroundings for kids have been sparked by the 5-year-old boy’s untimely death.
Because Fite is facing serious charges of aggravated homicide of a child, the charges have substantial legal ramifications. The court will examine whether her behavior—or lack thereof—amounted to egregious carelessness that caused the child’s death.
This tragic incident has left the community in shock and emphasizes how important it is to be watchful and cautious when it comes to young children’s safety, especially in situations where there may be inherent hazards.
The References: