An 18-month-old baby died in September due to malnourishment. The reason however was not simply starvation due to a lack of food, but rather a vegan diet. Now the parents of the baby boy have been arrested on charges of manslaughter and child neglect.
According to a report by the News-Press, Sheila O'Leary became worried early in the morning on September 27 when while nursing the baby she noticed that he was breathing shallowly. However, the parents chose not to call for medical help and went to sleep. Later in the day, paremadics responding to a 911 call declared him dead at the O'Learys' home in Florida. Reportedly, at that time the baby weighed a meagre 17 pounds.
The parents told investigators that the entire family subsisted on a vegan diet of fruit, vegetables and raw foods, such as mangoes, rambutans, bananas and avocados. The toddler was also fed breask milk.
The home-birthed boy had never even seen a doctor.
According to reports, after the medical examiner's office released its findings and the boy was found to have died of malnutrition and complications such as dehydration, microsteatosis of liver, and swollen hands, feet and lower legs, the couple turned them in.
The duo were reportedly booked at the Lee County jail on charges of felony manslaughter and child neglect. The bond was set for both of them at $ 250,000, and an arraignment is scheduled for December 9.
