When Scott Naso noticed his wife, Sherry, taking a sip of water only to watch it spill from the side of her mouth, he knew something was terribly amiss.

For some time, her health had shown troubling signs, and Naso feared that the breast cancer she had overcome a few years prior might have returned. Sherry experienced dramatic mood swings, her memory became unreliable, and her strength faltered to the point where she struggled to care for their two-year-old daughter, Laila, by herself.

However, it was on that fateful day in early April 2024 that the unmistakable symptoms of a stroke became evident.

Naso, who serves as a narcotics detective with the Middletown Police Department in Rhode Island, came home from work to a distressing scene. He found Sherry reclining on the couch next to her mother, her face distinctly drooping. She battled to get up and was unable to stand unaided.

In a moment of clarity, he gently cradled her face in his hands and said, “Sherry, sweetie, we need to go to the hospital. It looks like you’ve had a stroke.”

In a conversation with the Daily Mail, Naso recalled that before Sherry could respond, her mother, Dr. Jila Khorsand, intervened.

‘Get away from her,’ Naso claimed she told him. ‘You’re stressing her out. Shut up. You’re not a doctor. You’re just a cop.’

For months, Naso claimed, Sherry’s parents, Dr Siavash Ghoreishi and Khorsand, both Iranian-born physicians, had insisted her worsening symptoms were nothing more than side effects of Prozac withdrawal and lymphedema.

They allegedly discouraged her from seeing specialists, repeatedly told Naso to mind his business, and her mother rarely left her side, he said.

‘It was like a prison,’ Naso alleged to the Daily Mail. ‘She wasn’t allowed to go anywhere.’

Unable to persuade his wife to seek help willingly, Naso hatched a plan to trick her into getting a second opinion.

On April 12, he told Sherry they had been invited to dinner at a friend’s house and begged her to come. She obliged. He remembers watching Sherry sitting on the couch, her face slack, while her mother did her hair and makeup.

In that moment, he told the Daily Mail, Sherry resembled a rag doll – lifeless and limp.

When the couple arrived at their friend’s home, Sherry could barely get out of the car, dragging her right leg behind her as she walked.

The friend took one look at Sherry and then called her father-in-law, neurologist Dr Thomas Morgan, who said she needed an MRI immediately.

Morgan knew Sherry had previously beaten breast cancer. He suspected she had a tumor on the left side of her brain.

Sherry texted her mother that she was worried.

According to text messages shared with the Daily Mail, Khorsand replied: ‘Out of respect we didn’t disagree with Dr Morgan but hopefully we can have the test done tomorrow and find out for sure.’ She added that it was ‘very unlikely’ for the type of cancer Sherry had to spread to the brain.

‘U said I’d be fine,’ Sherry responded.

Within hours, doctors discovered a golf ball-sized brain tumor, swelling and lesions in her skull.

The cancer she thought she’d beaten had been spreading unchecked for months.

Sherry was taken to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston for emergency surgery. She died less than two weeks later on April 24, 2024. She was 37 years old.

Her death marked only the beginning of what Naso said is a nightmare that has enveloped both himself and Laila for the past 18 months.

‘This isn’t even the tip of the iceberg,’ Naso told the Daily Mail. ‘You’re in a helicopter circling the iceberg. You haven’t even touched down on it yet.’

According to Naso, Sherry had spent most of her life trusting her parents with her medical care. It was only after her death, he said, that he discovered the extent of their involvement and control over her treatment.

While the American Medical Association’s code of ethics advises physicians not to treat close family members, Ghoreishi and Khorsand had treated both their daughter and granddaughter for years.

Naso and his legal team have shared pages of medical records, public records, photos, messages, and audio and video recordings with the Daily Mail to support their claims. Though, Ghoreishi and Khorsand have denied any wrongdoing.

Inside his and Sherry’s home, Naso claimed to have discovered dozens of prescriptions Ghoreishi had written for Sherry and Laila. Medical records show Sherry received more than 120 prescriptions from her father in the decade before her death.

Many were issued without documented coordination with Sherry’s oncology team or other specialists, Naso and his attorney, Veronica Assalone, told the Daily Mail. 

In a complaint filed with the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) in January, Naso and his attorney alleged that some of the medication prescribed to Sherry by her father may have masked signs of her cancer returning.

In addition to the prescriptions, Naso claimed he found messages on Sherry’s phone from Khorsand, a chief pathologist at the time, diagnosing symptoms, discouraging outside care and advising alternative remedies.

In one exchange from March 2024, Khorsand dismissed concerns that her daughter may have suffered a stroke, attributing her symptoms to Prozac withdrawal.

‘There is nothing wrong with u and I would not see anyone until u are off the med completely!’ she wrote in a message seen by the Daily Mail.

Naso believes that if his wife had not relied on medical advice from her parents, she might still be alive today.

After Sherry’s death, Naso said he uncovered a similar pattern with his in-laws involving Laila.

Records show Ghoreishi issued more than 30 prescriptions to the toddler, including antibiotics, allergy medications and inhalers – prescriptions Naso said she did not need.

In his complaint filed with RIDOH, Naso alleged his in-laws engaged in Munchausen syndrome by proxy, creating what he described as ‘a cycle of chronic illness and dependency.’

Ghoreishi and Khorsand have strongly denied the allegations through their attorney.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, lawyer Brian Fielding called Naso’s claims ‘meritless’ and ‘misleading,’ but declined to address specific allegations.

‘My clients lost their only child to breast cancer which metastasized to her brain. Their loss goes beyond words,’ Fielding wrote. ‘Their sole focus is to honor the wishes of their daughter, Sherry, to support and protect the safety and welfare of their granddaughter and to remain a loving and supportive part of her life.

‘Because of pending judicial disputes and in compliance with the court’s prior order limiting public comment, my clients are not in a position at this time to address the numerous meritless and misleading accusations raised in and through various media outlets.

‘We are confident that the facts will be heard, the truth will come out, and that this matter will be decided by the court in a manner that is centered on their granddaughter’s well-being and best interests.’

Naso told the Daily Mail he does not believe his in-laws intended to harm Sherry, but believes their need for control eclipsed her best medical interests.

‘This was about control,’ he said. ‘They needed to be needed… and look at what happened. She’s dead.’

Assalone echoed that assessment.

‘I don’t think they were trying to harm her,’ she told the Daily Mail. ‘But they were profoundly arrogant and unable to remain objective.’

‘This could be a case study for why the American Medical Association’s code of ethics exists,’ she added. ‘You lose judgment with your own family members.’

Ghoreishi and Khorsand have not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing. Naso has urged multiple state and federal agencies to review their conduct, but no charges have been filed.

In remarks to the Boston Globe earlier in April, who was first to report on the story, Khorsand described the suggestions she made to her daughter as ‘motherly advice,’ adding that she believed she was supporting Sherry during a period of declining health and was shocked by her death.

‘Sherry was my only child. We were very close,’ Khorsand told the outlet. ‘From a very young age, we have been very, very close friends and not just mother and daughter. She is my true love, my reason for living.’

But Assalone said Khorsand and Ghoreishi’s medical meddling was part of a broader pattern of control extending into Sherry’s marriage and family life.

Text messages reviewed by the Daily Mail show Sherry’s parents criticizing Naso to their daughter while privately telling Naso they loved him – and in one instance, he said they urged him to leave Sherry.

Naso said his relationship with his in-laws was fractious from the start. Sherry had broken up with a wealthy plastic surgeon to be with Scott, against her parents’ wishes, and they were apparently disapproving of Scott’s blue-collar job.

He claimed Khorsand and Ghoreishi repeatedly inserted themselves into sensitive decisions about his marriage and attempted to drive a wedge between him and Sherry, driving their relationship to near breaking point.

Naso also claimed to the Daily Mail that he learned his in-laws had taken steps toward arranging a surrogate pregnancy without his involvement.

While Khorsand testified that she wrote a $30,000 check intended for a surrogate, she did not confirm whether Naso was consulted before the payment was sent. Khorsand declined to comment on this claim when asked by the Daily Mail.

Naso has accused the couple – publicly and in court records – of medical negligence and recklessness, which he alleged led to Sherry’s death. Both Khorsand and Ghoreishi have denied wrongdoing in their medical treatment of Sherry and Laila.

The fight remains ongoing in family court.

From late April through the month of May, 2024, Naso uncovered the extent of Ghoreishi’s prescriptions for Sherry and Laila. Once he discovered the scripts, Naso decided to end all visits between his daughter and his in-laws. He was fearful that access to Laila would perpetuate the dynamic he believes cost Sherry her life.

‘They are seeking to repeat the same cycle with my daughter,’ Naso claimed. ‘And I will not allow that to happen.’

As of April 29, 2024, Ghoreishi is no longer Laila’s pediatrician. Naso took her to a new doctor, who described Ghoreishi’s records as handwritten and incomplete, according to a letter shared with the Daily Mail.

The new pediatrician wrote that antibiotics had been prescribed without office visits or documentation of medical necessity.

Two months after Sherry’s death, her parents petitioned a Rhode Island judge for court-ordered visitation with Laila.

In September 2024, Judge Debra DiSegna approved supervised visits without holding a hearing, despite state law requiring one, according to court transcripts.

Although DiSegna acknowledged ‘a lot of issues’ in Laila’s case, she temporarily ordered supervised visits every other week and barred the grandparents from administering medication.

Naso agreed to the terms on the advice of his former counsel, who warned that refusal could worsen the outcome.

The widower told the Daily Mail that Laila began experiencing behavioral issues – including sudden crying spells and distress – once visits resumed.

Therapists, teachers and daycare administrators urged the court to halt visitation, citing concerns for the child’s mental health, documents shared with the Daily Mail show.

Naso also filed two complaints with the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) which opened an investigation and temporarily paused visits. The first complaint was filed in September 2024, and the second in February.

Naso said Laila’s behavior improved during that pause.

DCYF completed its investigation in late March. The findings were not disclosed, but visits were ordered to resume.

The case returned to court in early December under a new judge.

Over several days of testimony, Assalone alleged that forcing contact despite Naso’s objections would place Laila back into the same psychological environment her mother never escaped.

‘This is not about punishment,’ Assalone told the Daily Mail. ‘It’s about whether it is safe – emotionally and psychologically – to compel a child into contact when the custodial parent has legitimate, well-documented concerns.’

The day Sherry died, Khorsand quit her position as a chief pathologist at SouthCoast Hospital Group, and Ghoreishi permanently shuttered his private pediatric practice in East Greenwich.

According to Naso, they never visited Sherry in the hospital during her final days. In court testimony, Khorsand said she and her husband stayed home to look after Laila instead.

He also claimed they did not attend Sherry’s funeral. A representative for Khorsand and Ghoreishi declined to comment on why they were absent when asked by the Daily Mail.

While questioning Sherry’s parents in court, Naso’s attorney claimed that hours after Sherry died, Khorsand and Ghoreishi administered medication to Laila at Naso’s home without his consent, leaving the child distressed and vomiting. 

She alleged Khorsand and Ghoreishi held Laila down and used a syringe to force prednisone into her mouth. Naso told the Daily Mail he was home at the time of the alleged incident, but not in the room.

Naso’s legal team shared video footage captured on a Nest camera with the Daily Mail that they claim shows part of the incident. Laila and her grandparents are not visible, but the child can be heard crying.

Khorsand was asked about the incident in family court earlier in October. She admitted there was ‘no discussion’ about giving Laila the medication but Naso ‘was there.’

Khorsand added that she and Ghoreishi believed Laila had croup and that Ghoreishi prescribed the drug for that reason. 

Naso told the Daily Mail the proceedings – which could still drag on for months – have been ‘traumatizing’ and exhausting.

He claimed the legal battle has consumed nearly every aspect of his life and is draining his finances.

‘I’m worried about how I’m going to buy groceries,’ he said. ‘She wants to do gymnastics and I can’t afford it. These are things I shouldn’t be worrying about.’

Naso told the Daily Mail the uncertainty surrounding his daughter’s future has left him feeling ‘paralyzed.’

‘It’s like a mental or psychological prison cell,’ he said. ‘I’m trying to break free, but they keep beating me and beating me.’

But Naso said he continues to fight because of the stakes at play: ‘It’s absolutely a matter of life and death.’

The hearing is scheduled to continue in February.