FL - Boy, 3, found hooked to ventilator w/no pulse rotting in bed *GRAPHIC*, Bartow, 26 May 2023 *arrests*

[imstilla.grandma]

Two people are behind bars after deputies say a child who nearly drowned three years ago died in their care earlier this month.

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, crews with Bartow Fire Rescue received a call from a woman around 3 p.m. saying that her toddler's pulse oximeter wasn't working properly, but it was not an emergency. However, when emergency responders arrived, they say they found a 3-year-old boy without a pulse hooked to a ventilator breathing machine. The child was taken to an area hospital where he died.

Detectives say the child had extensive injuries, including a severely bloated belly, numerous open sores and his colon was visible. They added there were several abrasions on the child’s back consistent with bed sores and he smelled of decomposition.

"This child was rotting in the bed," stated Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

According to investigators, the toddler had nearly drowned while at a vacation home in Davenport in the summer of 2020. Since then, detectives say the toddler has been connected to a ventilator due to the near drowning incident.

A free home health nurse had been assisting the child, but switched companies about two months ago and hadn’t been back to the home, according to PCSO.

Polk couple arrested in ‘bone chilling’ child abuse case

Two people are behind bars after deputies say a child who nearly drowned three years ago died in their care earlier this month.

www.fox13news.com

*…there’s more but I’ve been trying to pull it together enough to post a title. I’m sorry but it’s so hard not to hate those people.

Press conference: Couple arrested in child's death

Sheriff Grady Judd said Takesha Williams and Efrem Allen, Jr., are facing aggravated manslaughter of a child after a 3-year-old in their care died in May. Sheriff Judd said the child has extensive injuries. Warning: Some may find the graphic details of the allegations disturbing.

www.fox35orlando.com

 

[LaborDayRN]

I can't even wrap my head around the fact that there are monsters this evil walking amongst us. Poor sweet little one. Rest in peace. You're no longer suffering now. I hope these adults (I won't call them parents) never see another day outside of prison!

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The baby was rushed to the hospital, where he died. When medical personnel removed his diapers and clothes, they noticed ulcers and large gaping wounds throughout the body, down into the muscle, Judd said. The child smelled of decomposition.

“They noticed there was no rectum,” Judd said. “There was just a big gaping hole where the intestines and the spinal column was visible.”

An ER doctor said the child had not had appropriate care for months. A medical examiner said the child had sepsis, bilateral pneumonia, and stage five ulcers, Judd said.

Authorities said Williams and Allen noticed the boy had large open sores but feared contacting anybody because they feared the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) would take their other two young children away. Those children, 2 years old and 10 months old, appeared healthy and were removed from their care, Judd said.

“They stated people would assume it was neglect,” authorities said in a news release. “However, they stated the victim is not neglected.”

Judd said his goal is to send them to prison for “as long as we can.”

“And then from there, God’s got to take over,” he said.

'They let this baby rot': Couple arrested in 'horror' death of 3-year-old neglected so badly you could see his colon, sheriff says

A couple is accused of letting their comatose 3-year-old boy rot in his bed after authorities discovered his decomposed and ulcerous body in their apartment on a ventilator.

lawandcrime.com

 

[Lyanna]

No. Just NO. How does this even happen?!! There's something so evil and rotten in this world. This is the saddest and cruellest thing I've read.
That precious child. I don't know what to say. It's just..Oh geez.


moo, jmo, and I hope these 2 burn in hell for eternity JMHO

 

[MissMalowe]

Wow they even had a home nurse but rejected her visits or didn't answer the door or "weren't home" since October! Why not continue getting help, if they cared so little for this poor child, why not just continue letting the medically trained person be responsible for his care most days at home?

Not sure I even want to fully understand this, but do we have any verified medical professionals here who could explain this further? :

letting their comatose 3-year-old boy rot in his bed after authorities discovered his lifeless, ulcerous body with gaping wounds, no rectum, and a hole with intestines, spinal column and colon visible.

No rectum?! Do they mean the rectum was prolapsed? And ONE hole (somewhere?) With the intestines, spine AND colon ALL visible?

This all sounds so incredibly horrible. That poor toddler!!

 

[LovesPeace2]

Omg I wish I never looked at this one. I hope those two get what's coming to them. Jmoo Rest in paradise little one .

 

[Tealgrove]

Nope. Can’t do it.

What is wrong with people?

 

[Puzzleworth]

(I am not a VMP)

[RSBM]
No rectum?! Do they mean the rectum was prolapsed? And ONE hole (somewhere?) With the intestines, spine AND colon ALL visible?

Pressure sores on the tailbone+uric acid (from urine)+infection can do this. Most likely he was not turned/moved and his diaper wasn't changed enough.

 

[PayrollNerd]

This is horrifying! I’m glad the other kids will go to a different home now. These two need to rot in prison & the death penalty.

 

[mickey2942]

Wow. Really though, it seems like this family couldn't handle a child with multiple impairments. No judgement from me. They were overwhelmed or just didn't know what to do...it is important to not expect people to take care of a multiply impaired child, if they can't do it....

 

[BrownRice]

Wow. Really though, it seems like this family couldn't handle a child with multiple impairments. No judgement from me. They were overwhelmed or just didn't know what to do...it is important to not expect people to take care of a multiply impaired child, if they can't do it....

I see your point. But my understanding is they turned away the replacement nurse after the other one changed agencies. I’m sure even with a nurse, there’s still a substantial amount of care needed. But why go on to have 2 more children.

Very said. I pray the child wasn’t conscious.

 

[mickey2942]

I see your point. But my understanding is they turned away the replacement nurse after the other one changed agencies. I’m sure even with a nurse, there’s still a substantial amount of care needed. But why go on to have 2 more children.

Very said. I pray the child wasn’t conscious.

I know. And, the disabled child was probably getting Social Security, possibly even put the family to top of list for section 8 housing. So, it is a problem, when the "benefits" follow a child with disability, so the family wants the benefits...but the care is overwhelming.

It is often a problem. There is more...

 

[worm]

Omg I wish I never looked at this one. I hope those two get what's coming to them. Jmoo Rest in paradise little one .

Makes 2 of us. I just read a horrible thread from PA before landing here. I so salute those that have to deal with things like this first hand.

 

[UrsulaWrenn]

I came across this article, but am having trouble parsing exactly what the victim suffered, if anything?

“The child had no brain activity, could not even blink his eyes, could not move his extremities,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference on Wednesday. “And quite frankly, it was recommended to the parents that he be removed from any life-saving measures because the child would forever be in a coma with no brain activity.”

To my thinking, this means "brain dead" and thus beyond feeling any pain. So whatever horrific abuse / neglect his parents committed, it's only abuse of a corpse.
OTOH:

While a home health nurse had been visiting their home since 2020, the parents decided to switch health care companies within the past few months leading to the boy’s death, according to the affidavit.

I'm sure they weren't providing medical care to a corpse, so someone must've had objective reason the victim had a chance of getting better?

OTOOH...if brain dead isn't as all-dead as I've understood it to be, why are we so quick to remove life support?

“I’ve seen some truly horrific events in my long law enforcement career, but I have never, ever seen anything as sad, as bone-chilling, and as sickening as what this baby suffered before finally perishing from the despicable acts of these two criminals,” Judd said.

Did the baby suffer? Or was he already far beyond that?
Can someone medically inclined weigh in?

‘Rotting in the bed:’ Florida parents accused of neglecting comatose 3-year-old to death

A man and woman in Polk County were arrested earlier this month after their 3-year-old child was found in “bone-chilling” condition, according to the sheriff’s office.

www.clickorlando.com

I must admit the circumstances of this, as reported, make me really hope brain dead is all-dead.

 

[Goecke]

Makes me wonder about the circumstances of the original near-drowning incident. He was 3, so he had to be under a year old in 2020. So it's not like he got out of his parents sight for a second and fell into a pool/pond/etc. I just can't imagine any way a baby under a year old could nearly drown that doesn't involve some degree of neglect.

 

[Laughing]

Hmm. The child's body was definitely abused. imho, the child was alive until the date & time listed on the death certificate.

JMHO, of course, but a posted article mentions 2 younger siblings.

Who are living in the home where their sibling is rotting away.

Also two adults, who are living in the home where their child is rotting away.

Two adults, who apparently did not make arrangements for a replacement medical caregiver when the previous caregiver moved on.

Abusive, all right imho.

 

[LaborDayRN]

Wow they even had a home nurse but rejected her visits or didn't answer the door or "weren't home" since October! Why not continue getting help, if they cared so little for this poor child, why not just continue letting the medically trained person be responsible for his care most days at home?

Not sure I even want to fully understand this, but do we have any verified medical professionals here who could explain this further? :

No rectum?! Do they mean the rectum was prolapsed? And ONE hole (somewhere?) With the intestines, spine AND colon ALL visible?

This all sounds so incredibly horrible. That poor toddler!!

And why wasn't the fact that the nurse visits were being rejected not reported? Someone had to be looking out for this baby!

 

[UrsulaWrenn]

JMHO, of course, but a posted article mentions 2 younger siblings.

Who are living in the home where their sibling is rotting away.

Also two adults, who are living in the home where their child is rotting away.

I didn't notice the part about two other siblings. Honestly, I had a hard time reading it, and abandoned it before getting a really good grasp of what happened.

 

[Lamima]

Makes me wonder about the circumstances of the original near-drowning incident. He was 3, so he had to be under a year old in 2020. So it's not like he got out of his parents sight for a second and fell into a pool/pond/etc. I just can't imagine any way a baby under a year old could nearly drown that doesn't involve some degree of neglect.

We used to own a vacation rental home in Davenport. There are a bunch of townhome (and single family home) neighborhoods that folks own as investment properties and rent out. Many have small pools or hot tubs on the lanai. Could be one of those. Where nobody immediately noticed he had gone out on the lanai and fell in the pool. We chose one without a pool specifically because of fear a renter might drown.

 

[Goecke]

We used to own a vacation rental home in Davenport. There are a bunch of townhome (and single family home) neighborhoods that folks own as investment properties and rent out. Many have small pools or hot tubs on the lanai. Could be one of those. Where nobody immediately noticed he had gone out on the lanai and fell in the pool. We chose one without a pool specifically because of fear a renter might drown.

That seems likely for a toddler, but not a very young baby. I'm not sure how close the boy was to his 4th birthday, so it's possible he was a year or so old when it happened (depending on his birthday and when in 2020 this happened). I'm not a parent nor do I have much knowledge about developmental milestones, but if I'm remembering correctly most babies are able to crawl but not walk by their 1st birthday?