5 people arrested in connection with the death of a 7-year-old boy with a health condition in Fort Lauderdale

FORT LAUDERDALE — Three family members and two other people have been arrested and charged in connection with the death of a 7-year-old boy, Fort Lauderdale police said. The boy, Deonte Atwell, died of severe malnutrition on Christmas Day last year, authorities said.

The five accused persons are:

• The boy's mother, 37-year-old Michelle Doe, was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child, aggravated child abuse and two counts of child neglect.
• The boy's brother, 21-year-old Tyreck Irvin, was charged with first-degree murder, manslaughter of a child, child neglect and failure to report child abuse.
• The child's grandfather, 70-year-old James Graham, was charged with manslaughter of a child, child neglect and failure to report child abuse.
• Mirlande Moltimer Ameda, 47, a caregiver, was charged with first-degree murder, manslaughter of a child, Medicaid fraud and child neglect.
• The boy's nurse, 33-year-old Cassandre Lassegue, was charged with premeditated and suspected murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child, aggravated child abuse and Medicaid fraud.

Authorities were called to a medical emergency at a Fort Lauderdale home just before 8 p.m. on Dec. 25 last year – two days after the boy's birthday. The boy was taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where he died an hour later, the Broward County Sheriff's Office said. Doctors noted, however, that Atwell “appeared to have been dead for quite some time.”

Preliminary examinations revealed Atwell suffered from thoracic spina bifida and hydrocephalus, conditions that required medical care at home. An autopsy found he died of “severe malnutrition” and his bones protruded through gaping holes in his skin, BSO said.

Officers found 264 unopened bottles of Atwell's infant formula in the home, and other evidence suggested he died in a Medicaid fraud attempt estimated at $10,000 to $50,000, the BSO said.

Police concluded that Doe, Irvin, Graham, Ameda and Lassegue “failed to provide appropriate medical care,” resulting in severe abuse and Atwell's death, Fort Lauderdale police said.

Irvin, Graham, Ameda and Lassegue appeared in court Wednesday morning. Irvin, Ameda and Lassegue are being held without bail, while Graham is being held on $22,000 bail. He will be placed under house arrest and monitored with an electronic GPS monitor if he posts bail.

Doe was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday afternoon.

Doe and Irvin are also accused of neglecting two other boys who lived in the same home at the time of the deaths.

Fort Lauderdale police are cooperating with the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud and Oversight Section and the Broward State Attorney's Office Child Mortality and Abuse Section in the investigation.

Anyone with information about the case should call Detective Jennifer Saint Jean at (954) 828-5570 or Detective Jackie Sanchez at (954) 828-5539 or Broward Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-TIPS (8477).