A Florida couple has been indicted for murder after police say they forced their malnourished baby to eat only raw fruits and vegetables.
Ryan Patrick O’Leary, 30, and Sheila O’Leary, 35, were arrested last month after a medical examiner ruled that their 18-month-old baby died in September from malnutrition.
Sheila O’Leary had called the police to report that the child was cold and not breathing. The baby was pronounced dead after medics arrived at their Cape Coral home, according to Fort Myers News-Press. The boy weighed just 17 pounds, the weight of an average 7-month-old.
In addition to the 18-month-old, the couple had three other children, ages 3, 5, and 11. The two youngest were Ryan O’Leary’s biological children, and police observed that they were incredibly small for their ages and had a pale, yellowish complexion. One of the children had blackened teeth.
When officers spoke with Sheila O’Leary, she said that the children were only fed raw fruits and vegetables such as mangoes, bananas, avocados, and rambutans. She also told officers that the 18-month-old had not eaten in a week but was given breast milk.
Police said that the couple told them the boy was born at home and had never seen a doctor during the duration of his short life. Sheila O’Leary also said the other children were being home-schooled, although police noted they found no proof the children were in any sort of homeschool program.
After turning themselves in to police on Nov. 6, they were arrested and held on $250,000 bond each.
Wednesday’s indictment includes the first-degree murder charge and charges of aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter, child abuse, and two counts of child neglect.
“The evidence and crime scene, in this case, are gut-wrenching. These are images, as a mother and state attorney, I will not be able to forget,” State Attorney Amira Fox said after the indictment. “I commend the detectives and officers with the Cape Coral Police Department for their difficult task of dealing with the horrendous nature of this case.”
Earlier this year, an Australian couple pleaded guilty to neglecting their 19-month-old child by giving it a “conservative vegan diet” consisting of oats with olive oil, vegetables, rice milk, potatoes, and tofu.
