Fort Lauderdale woman accused of starving to death of her 7-year-old son appears in bail court

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida. – A Fort Lauderdale woman who is one of five people charged in the death of her 7-year-old son appeared in court Thursday, where she was ordered to be held in jail without bail.

Michelle Doe, 37, is accused of first-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter of a child, aggravated child abuse and two counts of child neglect.

She was arrested Tuesday along with four others: Tyreck Irvin, 21, the victim's brother; James Graham, 70, the victim's grandfather; Mirlande Moltimer Ameda, 47, the owner of Samaritan Home Care Provider, Inc., and Cassandre Lassegue, 33, a nurse who was tasked with caring for the victim in the months before his death.

Graham is the only defendant not charged with murder. He is charged with manslaughter of a child, child neglect and failure to report child abuse. He was being held on $22,000 bail but is expected to be released on house arrest sometime Thursday.

According to Fort Lauderdale police, officers and Fort Lauderdale Fire Department personnel responded to the victim's home near the 1700 block of Southwest 11th Street shortly before 8 p.m. on Christmas Day last year due to a medical emergency.

Police said the boy, Deonte Atwell, was taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later. However, doctors told investigators that he appeared to have been dead for some time before he got there.

On Wednesday, Fort Lauderdale police issued a press release saying the investigation revealed that Deonte was suffering from a medical condition that required medical attention at home.

A separate press release from the Broward State Attorney's Office said Deonte had starved to death and weighed approximately 7 pounds (3.2 kilograms) at the time of his death.

According to prosecutors, Deonte “died of severe malnutrition, with his bones protruding through gaping holes in his skin, the autopsy revealed. At birth, the victim was diagnosed as a 'medically complex child' with thoracic spina bifida and hydrocephalus, was on a ventilator and feeding tube, and required around-the-clock skilled nursing care.”

“According to evidence, investigators found 264 unopened bottles of the victim's infant formula in the home,” the press release continued. “The evidence also established that the victim died as a result of a Medicaid fraud scheme, the cost of which is conservatively estimated at over $10,000 but less than $50,000.”

Detective Jacqueline Sanchez spoke to reporters Wednesday and said Lassegue, who was supposed to care for Deonte for months before he died, did not even come to his house as often as she should have.

“Through the investigation, we found that the nurse who was supposed to go to the house was there at times and filled out paperwork confirming her presence, but she wasn't there. I believe if she had been there, she might have seen Deonte's condition deteriorating and might have said something,” Sanchez said. “It's sad to say that Deonte suffered until his death at the hands of the people who should have been caring for him the most.”

In addition to the charges related to Deonte, Doe and Irvin are also accused of neglecting two other boys, ages 9 and 16, who also lived in the same home.

A hearing on the dependency of these children will take place on Thursday.

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department, the Broward County District Attorney's Office's Child Mortality and Child Abuse Unit, and the Attorney General's Statewide Medicaid Fraud Unit conducted a joint investigation into Deonte's death; the investigation is ongoing.

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