The uncle of a seven-year-old boy who weighed just seven pounds when he died has been arrested in connection with the horrifying case of child cruelty.
Deonte Atwell starved to death and his bones were protruding through gaping holes in his skin when he was found on Christmas Day last year, prosecutors said.
His uncle Jeremy Graham, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida was arrested on Tuesday on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child, neglect of a child and failure to report child abuse, police said.
The child, who was diagnosed with thoracic spina bifida and hydrocephalus, could have suffered months of neglect before his body was found, authorities said.
Doctors said the child appeared to have been dead for quite some time.
He required around-the-clock medical care at home for his condition and had a breathing and feeding tube, according to the Broward State Attorney’s Office.
But family members and two home healthcare employees stopped providing him with care, authorities said, which resulted in aggravated abuse, and his death.
Investigators found 264 unopened bottles of the victim’s feeding formula in the home when they arrived at the scene last year.
Graham has become the sixth family member arrested in connection with the little boy’s death.
Five others, including his mother, Michelle Doe, his brother, Tyreck Irvin, and grandfather James Graham have also been arrested.
Miralande Moltimer Ameda, the owner of the home health provider company and Cassandre Lassegue, the nurse who was assigned to care for Atwell, have also been charged.
Graham’s bond has been set at $121,000 and he was booked into Broward County Jail.
