A 4-year-old boy in South Carolina died, and his parents are now facing charges for failure to provide medical care.
According to The State, FOX Carolina, and WSAW, citing the Oconee County Coroner’s Office, emergency services were dispatched to a home on the 400 block of Forest Acres Circle around 6:20 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, after receiving a call that the boy, identified by the outlets as Isaiah Joseph Dionne, was unconscious. The coroner’s office was asked to respond 20 minutes later.
An affidavit from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) stated that the boy appeared “underweight for his age and malnourished” at the time of his death.
According to SLED officials, Isaiah weighed 21 pounds, had sunken eyes, and his ribs and bones “were very visible.”
According to The State and The Post and Courier Greenville, Joshua Emanuel Lamar Latimer, 30, and Destiny Shay Dionne, 24, are the boy’s stepfather and mother, respectively.
The affidavit accuses both parents of causing Isaiah’s death “under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to life.”
Latimer and Dionne were arrested on the same day and charged with two counts of Unlawful Conduct Toward a Child, according to an SLED press release. On Monday, September 22, they were also charged with homicide by child abuse.
According to the affidavit reviewed by PEOPLE, the Homicide by Child Abuse charge carries a potential sentence ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment.
According to The State and The Post and Courier Greenville, Latimer worked for the South Carolina Highway Patrol before being fired when the agency learned of his arrest. He served as a Lance Corporal in Troop 3, which covers Anderson, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, and Spartanburg counties.
Isaiah is described in an obituary as “the most beautiful baby boy.” It reads: “As Isaiah matured, so did his personality. Knowing him was an incredible experience; he was always upbeat. Isaiah’s smile could brighten a room, and his laugh would warm your heart.
