Fourth Family Member Charged After Boy, 7, Died of ‘Severe Malnutrition’ Last Christmas

Jeremy Graham becomes the sixth person overall to be charged in the death of Deonte Atwell

Another family member has been charged in connection to the death of 7-year-old Deonte Atwell, who was found dead on Christmas Day last year due to severe malnutrition.

Jeremy Graham was arrested by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s Fugitive Unit on Tuesday, Dec. 17, and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, neglect of a child and failure to report child abuse, authorities said in a press release.

Police did not give any other details on what part Graham, 31, may have played in Deonte's death, though they said that “information gathered throughout the investigation” led to his arrest.

Graham is the sixth person part of the boy’s inner circle that has been charged.

Deonte's mother, Michelle Doe, 37, and his 21-year-old brother, Tyreck Irvin, were previously charged with murder in the first degree, aggravated manslaughter of a child, aggravated child abuse and two counts of neglect of a child in September.

Deonte's 70-year-old grandfather, James Graham; the owner of Samaritan Home Care Provider, Inc., Mirlande Moltimer Ameda; and the 33-year-old nurse assigned to care for Deonte, Cassandre Lassegue, also face charges in connection with the child's death.

Doe and Ameda have both pleaded not guilty. It is not clear what Irvin, Graham and Lassegue have pleaded.

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The Broward County State Attorney's Office alleged in a prior press release that Deonte, who was born in 2016, died of “severe malnutrition."

At the time of his death, the child was at the point where “his bones were protruding through gaping holes in his skin,” according to autopsy findings. 

Authorities said Deonte was diagnosed with thoracic spina bifida, a condition that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don't form properly, according to the Mayo Clinic, and hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain.

This required him to use a breathing tube and feeding tube, and he “required around-the-clock skilled nursing care," police said.

During their investigation, police said they found “264 unopened bottles of the victim’s feeding formula in the home." They added that evidence showed the victim died during a scheme to defraud Medicaid.

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department said in another news release that "several family members, as well as the home health nurses, did not conduct the appropriate medical services resulting in the aggravated abuse and death of the child."

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.