Mother and father Charged with ‘Emaciated’ Boy’s Demise After ‘Taunting’ Movies, Google Searches Revealed

Qwentosha Massaquoi, 46, and Louis Massaquoi, 47, of Lehigh Acres, Florida have been arrested final week and charged with aggravated manslaughter and aggravated baby abuse following the dying of their son.

The arrest comes after months of investigation from the Lee County Sheriff’s Workplace, who’ve name the kid’s dying “tragic and merciless.”

“This poor baby endured extended struggling earlier than his dad and mom finally let him die,” the sheriff stated in an announcement. “We’re proud to work alongside the State Lawyer’s Workplace in bringing these accountable to justice, and we are going to proceed to help their efforts to safe a prolonged conviction.”

Deputies have been dispatched to the Massaquoi dwelling on January 27, 2025, after Louis referred to as 911 and stated “his son was weak and probably handed away,” this in keeping with a possible trigger affidavit obtained by Regulation&Crime. Lifesaving measures have been unsuccessful and he was pronounced lifeless.

In line with his post-mortem, the boy — who was “solely sporting a diaper” when he died and homeschooled alongside his 9-year-old brother — “offered with apparent indicators of malnourishment and was emaciated with all bones seen.” He was additionally “severely dehydrated, malnourished, and very emaciated.”

The dad and mom informed deputies “the boy had turn into in poor health however that they selected to not search medical therapy,” stated the Sheriff. Per the possible trigger docs, they stated “medical therapy was towards their spiritual beliefs,” although he had been experiencing signs together with vomiting and a tough stomach. The mom additionally allegedly informed authorities they could not get him to eat within the days main as much as his dying, after a dinner of spaghetti on January 23.

Per Fort Myers Information-Pressthe dad and mom prayed over the boy, till they realized he wasn’t respiratory and referred to as 911.

When requested in regards to the kid’s weight, Qwentosha allegedly claimed she first observed he was getting skinnier in October, however chalked that and his fatigue to “going by way of puberty.” She allegedly stated they thought he would “ultimately fill again out weight-wise” following what they thought was “a development spurt.”

After executing a search warrant on the dad and mom’ cell telephones, authorities discovered what the sheriff referred to as “quite a few regarding web searches associated to medical signs, therapies, and baby dying” — in addition to movies of the dad and mom “taunting” the boy.

Per the affidavit, the movies confirmed the daddy “mocking, taunting, and denying the decedent fundamental nourishment, reminiscent of water, when he requested for it.” He additionally allegedly was seen “poking on the decedent with (a) stick and making enjoyable of him for sporting diaper.”

“Movies have been discovered of Louis Sr. taunting and making enjoyable of the decedent by saying, ‘Oh, (you are) thirsty, oh, you need water, you at all times need water,'” reads the affidavit, citing “one other the place Louis Sr. takes (a) bottle of water from the decedent and says he cannot have it and you may hear the decedent asking for the water. Louis Sr. can also be seen mocking the decedent about at all times being thirsty.”

Each dad and mom have been allegedly current when the movies have been recorded, which authorities consider exhibits “that each dad and mom have been maliciously torturing, punishing, and mistreating the decedent.”

The movies additionally allegedly confirmed that the boy “seemed to be in good well being” till round October 2024. After that, authorities stated he “started to look unhealthy as a consequence of weight reduction and lack of shade in his face.”

One cellphone additionally got here up with web searches for “what to do when a baby dies” and “what to do when an individual dies in Florida,” about 10 minutes earlier than the dad and mom referred to as 911. On the opposite cellphone, in the meantime, they discovered searches for “unexplained weight reduction,” “distended stomach,” “extreme thirst” and “urinary incontinence.”

As for the dad and mom saying “medical therapy was towards their spiritual beliefs,” investigators additionally discovered the mom had oral surgical procedure and a blood transfusion this 12 months.

The 2 are nonetheless in custody at Lee County Jail.

If you’re experiencing or witness baby abuse, name the Childhelp Nationwide Little one Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Little one or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. For those who consider a baby is in quick hazard, name 911.