No bail for Fort Lauderdale mother after starvation of 7-year-old, 7-pound child – NBC 6 South Florida

A Fort Lauderdale mother accused of murdering her 7-year-old son, who starved to death and weighed just seven pounds when pronounced dead on Christmas Day, will remain behind bars.

Michelle Doe made her first appearance in a Broward courtroom on Thursday, where she was remanded in custody without bail.

Doe, 37, was arrested this week on charges including first-degree murder, manslaughter of a child, aggravated child abuse and two counts of child neglect in connection with the death of her son, Deonte Atwell.

The Broward State Attorney's Office said Atwell has been diagnosed with thoracic spina bifida and hydrocephalus, is on a ventilator and feeding tube, and requires around-the-clock professional care.

However, authorities said family members and two staff members at a home care facility apparently stopped caring for him, leading to severe abuse and ultimately his death.

Police said Atwell may have suffered for months before he was found and pronounced dead on Dec. 25, 2023. Atwell had turned seven just two days earlier, on Dec. 23, but prosecutors said it appeared he may have been dead “for quite some time.”

Several family members and home care workers have been arrested in connection with the murder of a 7-year-old child on Christmas Day last year in Fort Lauderdale. The five arrests are in connection with the Dec. 25, 2023, death of Deonte Atwell, Fort Lauderdale police said Wednesday.

Prosecutors said Atwell had been starving for long periods and was terribly malnourished and neglected. He weighed just three kilograms when he died, with bones poking through his skin.

“The victim was starved for an extended period of time, which amounts to deliberate torture,” a prosecutor said during Doe's court appearance on Thursday.

Investigators found 264 unopened bottles of Atwell's baby formula in the house, prosecutors said.

Four other people were arrested in connection with Atwell's death, including his brother, 21-year-old Tyreck Irvin, and his grandfather, 70-year-old James Graham.

Irvin is also charged with first-degree murder, aggravated murder of a child, aggravated child abuse and two counts of child neglect, while Graham is charged with aggravated murder of a child, child neglect and failure to report child abuse.

Broward Sheriff's Office

Investigators also found that Atwell died while evading Medicaid programs. Damages are conservatively estimated at more than $10,000 but less than $50,000, officials said.

The owner of the home care service, 47-year-old Mirlande Moltimer Ameda, is charged with first-degree murder, manslaughter of a child, Medicaid fraud and child neglect.

Atwell's nurse, 33-year-old Cassandre Lassegue, faces charges of first-degree murder, manslaughter of a child, third-degree first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and Medicaid fraud.

Broward Sheriff's Office

Doe has been assigned a public defender and will also have to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, the judge said Thursday.

At a separate hearing Thursday afternoon, Atwell's father, Walter, was granted custody of his two older siblings, ages 9 and 16.

“This is already a difficult situation and I do not want to make it any more difficult,” Walter Atwell said after the hearing.