A mother, brother, grandfather, and two caregivers are charged with murder and manslaughter following the starvation death of a disabled boy.
Deonte Atwell, 7, weighed just 7lbs. at the time of his death last Christmas.
Fort Lauderdale Police Det. Jacqueline Sanchez says Deonte young life was rough to begin with. He suffered from spina bifida, a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord membranes don't close completely during pregnancy. He had a breathing tube and feeding tube and required around-the-clock skilled nursing care.
But, ultimately, it was neglect and abuse that did him in.
Police and fire rescue had responded to a home near the 1700 block of Southwest 11th Street after reports of a medical emergency involving Atwell. Investigators found 264 unopened bottles of Atwell's feeding formula in the home, the state attorney's office said. Investigators also found Atwell died during a scheme to defraud Medicaid, conservatively estimated at more than $10,000 but less than $50,000.
Deonte's mother, Michelle Doe, 37, faces charges including first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child, aggravated child abuse, and two counts of neglect of a child.