The parents of an 18-month-old boy who died in September from malnourishment have been arrested by Florida police on charges of manslaughter and child neglect.
On Sept. 27, around 4 a.m., Sheila O’Leary nursed the child briefly and, she told authorities, became worried when he began breathing shallowly, the Florida Fort Myers News-Press reported. Rather than call for help, though, the O’Learys went to sleep.
The paramedics who responded to a 911 call later that day pronounced the boy dead at the Cape Coral, Florida, home; he weighed just 17 pounds when he died, according to police reports, significantly under the average weight for a child his age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sheila and Ryan O’Leary told investigators that the vegan family only eats fruit, vegetables and raw foods, such as mangoes, rambutans, bananas and avocados, according to the News-Press. The parents supplemented the toddler’s diet with breast milk.
The child, who was home-birthed had never seen a doctor.
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Alex Murdaugh’s new defense, Luigi Mangione’s decision, Tyler Robinson’s fight
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. says he expects to return to Congress ‘in the next couple of weeks’ after missing 100 votes
Teen suspect tied to 12 attacks in chaotic Austin shooting spree identified as illegal alien
Plan for Trump’s ‘Triumphal Arch’ Clears Another Important Hurdle with DC Commission Approval
Texas congressional candidate claims she never called for ‘internment camps’ after party leaders condemn her
UK Cops Handcuffed Dying Stabbing Victim for Racially Insulting Sikh Who Allegedly Stabbed Him
Watch: ‘Survivor’ Host’s Awkward Blunder During Live Finale Spoils Results
Breaking: NASCAR Champion Kyle Busch Dead at Age 41
DHS touts millions of illegal immigrant departures as border crossings drop 94% under Trump
‘A Galactic Blunder’: Senate Goes on Recess Until June, Missing Trump’s Deadline for ICE Funding Bill
Democrats revolt over ‘biological’ wording in women’s history museum bill
‘Botched’ lethal injection earns Tennessee death row inmate reprieve
College students accused of turning popular beach town into booze-soaked free-for-all in takeover chaos
Single Chart Shows DNC’s Downfall Among the American Electorate Since 2009
Man arrested for allegedly hurling beer keg through window of famous Georgetown Cupcake bakery
The couple turned themselves in to authorities on Nov. 6, after the medical examiner’s office released its autopsy findings: the cause of death was malnutrition and complications, including dehydration, microsteatosis of liver, and swollen hands, feet and lower legs.
They were booked at the Lee County jail on charges of felony manslaughter and child neglect. Bond was set for both at $250,000, and an arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 9.
In a statement on his law firm’s website, attorney John Musca, who is representing the 35-year-old mother, called the boy’s death “tragic.”
The toddler, he said, had been “struggling with illness for the past six months, making it difficult for him to eat. The mother said that the little boy began to recuperate, but then started teething, causing him to have new struggles with eating.”
No attorney was listed for Ryan O’Leary, who is 30, in the Lee County jail records.
The O’Learys have two other children together, ages 3 and 5, whom police saw at their residence in September. One had blackened and decaying teeth, the News-Press reported, at both were extremely malnourished, weighing under the third percentile for their age groups.
According to the probable cause statement, Sheila O’Leary told police her children were all home-schooled, though law enforcement could not find records of them actively enrolled in a home-school program.
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Alex Murdaugh’s new defense, Luigi Mangione’s decision, Tyler Robinson’s fight
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. says he expects to return to Congress ‘in the next couple of weeks’ after missing 100 votes
Teen suspect tied to 12 attacks in chaotic Austin shooting spree identified as illegal alien
Plan for Trump’s ‘Triumphal Arch’ Clears Another Important Hurdle with DC Commission Approval
Texas congressional candidate claims she never called for ‘internment camps’ after party leaders condemn her
UK Cops Handcuffed Dying Stabbing Victim for Racially Insulting Sikh Who Allegedly Stabbed Him
Watch: ‘Survivor’ Host’s Awkward Blunder During Live Finale Spoils Results
Breaking: NASCAR Champion Kyle Busch Dead at Age 41
DHS touts millions of illegal immigrant departures as border crossings drop 94% under Trump
‘A Galactic Blunder’: Senate Goes on Recess Until June, Missing Trump’s Deadline for ICE Funding Bill
Democrats revolt over ‘biological’ wording in women’s history museum bill
‘Botched’ lethal injection earns Tennessee death row inmate reprieve
College students accused of turning popular beach town into booze-soaked free-for-all in takeover chaos
Single Chart Shows DNC’s Downfall Among the American Electorate Since 2009
Man arrested for allegedly hurling beer keg through window of famous Georgetown Cupcake bakery
NBC News reported that the children were removed from the home and are being looked after by the Department of Children and Families’ care.
