Florida parents have been arrested after their six-year-old son was found dead in a Florida hotel toilet bowl on July 5. They have just been indicted.
The Florida parents identified as Larry Rhose, a 22-year-old father, and his partner, Bianca Blaise, 25, are accused of being responsible for the death of their six-year-old son and the abuse of their five other children.
They were arrested on July 5 after their son was found dead in a toilet bowl in a hotel room in Florida, USA. A press conference was given on Wednesday by the Osceola County Sheriff to give details of the investigation.
The tragedy happened in a hotel room in Kissimmee, Florida. Rescuers received a call from Bianca Blaise to report the accidental drowning of her six-year-old son. When they arrive there, they discover the child’s head in the toilet bowl, his eyes very swollen and not breathing.
According to Sheriff Marcos R. Lopez, he tried to drink water. He was rushed to the emergency room where he was diagnosed with a severe and fatal cerebral hemorrhage, as well as a liver laceration. He was placed on life support, but succumbed to his injuries this week, according to information relayed by the sheriff.
Hit repeatedly
Investigators interviewed other residents of the hotel to try to understand the circumstances of the death of the little boy. According to information relayed by the local media WKMG-TV affiliated with CBS Orlando , the witnesses said they heard a noise, about ten to fifteen minutes before the arrival of the police. According to them, it could be the fall of the child.
According to the investigation carried out by the police, the sheriff declared that he had not died from drowning, but had been the victim of heavy abuse.
“The reason why he wasn’t breathing is that his parents got very angry because he was drinking water from the toilet and started beating him. First the mother beat him, then the father beat him and they started hitting the little boy repeatedly with closed fists. He repeatedly hit him in the head and stomach area,” the sheriff said at the press conference.
The child would have been very thirsty and would have gone to the toilet to “survive” and not die of thirst.
According to the police report, the Florida parents are also accused of abusing the victim’s five siblings. During this press conference, images of the hotel room and the bodies of the children were released showing traces of burns, scars, cockades, bleeding and bruising.
Larry Rhose and Bianca Blaise are indicted for murder and abuse of several of their children. They are currently being held in Osceola County Jail without the possibility of bail.