Three relatives and two caregivers were charged Wednesday over the Christmas death of a 7-year-old disabled boy.
Prosecutors alleged that Deonte Atwell weighed only 7 pounds and had bones poking through his skin when paramedics found him deceased inside the family’s Fort Lauderdale home on Christmas night.
The boy had a birth defect of the spinal cord, used breathing and feeding tubes, and required around-the-clock medical care, which he did not receive.
Investigators found 264 unopened bottles of the boy’s feeding formula in the residence when he died from starvation.
“It’s sad to say that Deonte had suffered all the way through his death,” said Detective Jacqueline Sanchez.
“…By the people who were supposed to be caring for him the most.”
Five people were arrested in connection to Deonte’s death: His mother Michelle Doe, 37; his brother Tyreck Irvin, 21; and his grandfather James Graham, 70.
The boy’s 33-year-old caregiver Cassandre Lassegue and the 47-year-old owner of the service that hired Lassegue, Mirlande Moltimer, were also arrested.
Doe, Irvin, and Lassegue were charged with first-degree murder, manslaughter, and child neglect.
Graham was charged with aggravated manslaughter, child neglect, and failure to report child abuse.
Moltimer was charged with third-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter, and child neglect.
She and Lassegue also face a charge of Medicaid fraud while Doe and Irvin are charged with neglecting two other children.
