Lindenhurst couple indicted after children found malnourished
The children allegedly suffered health conditions due to a diet consisting primarily of cow milk mixed with strawberry syrup.
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A Lindenhurst couple was indicted, accused of withholding medical care from two of their four children for years.
The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office says that on Oct. 2, 2024, the youngest of the four children was allegedly brought to a doctor for a reported issue of constipation. The child, 4 years old at the time, allegedly had not received any medical care since they were 2 months old and was found to be in a critical state. They were sent to Good Samaritan University Medical Center for what was later determined to be heart failure allegedly due to a chronic iron deficiency.
The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office says this deficiency was allegedly determined to be caused by a diet primarily consisting of cow milk mixed with strawberry syrup. Because of the severity of the condition, the child was then transferred to Cohen Children’s Medical Center and then NYU Langone Health in Manhattan for a heart transplant.
Investigators then visited the family's home and allegedly found a malnourished 9-year-old boy with pale skin and wearing a diaper, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. The child was then brought to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was determined to be in a medically critical state and severely anemic. The child also had not received any medical care since the age of 2, and additionally had never been enrolled in school.
The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office says the boy was determined to have suffered damage to his heart also as a result of iron deficiency anemia caused by a diet consisting of primarily strawberry milk through a baby bottle.
“These defendants allegedly neglected two of their children for a prolonged period of time resulting in devastating and entirely preventable medical consequences,” said District Attorney Ray Tierney. “When parents abandon their duty to care for a child, and the child then suffers serious physical harm as a result, our office will aggressively pursue justice on their behalf.”
On July 30, the defendants were each arraigned and charged with assault, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. Each defendant was held on $500,000 cash, $1,000,000 bond, or $5,000,000 partially secured bond pending the case.
The couple's two older sons, ages 11 and 12 at the time, were enrolled in school and received medical care, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. Both were determined to require medical or dental treatment for conditions allegedly resulting from inadequate care.
