Left: Taryn Strait. Right: De’Varius D. Keys (Dane County Jail).
A Wisconsin man, aged 27, is set to join his girlfriend behind bars after their tragic negligence led to the starvation death of their newborn son, all while they indulged in a meal. The infant’s life was tragically cut short as the couple prioritized their own needs.
De’Varius D. Keys has been sentenced to eight years in prison followed by four years of probation for the death of his infant son, Dev’Kumar Keys, as per court documents. His girlfriend and the child’s mother, Taryn L. Strait, 22, received an identical sentence last month. Both admitted guilt to the charge of felony child neglect.
According to details from a criminal complaint accessed by Law&Crime, Dev’Kumar passed away on February 1, 2024, in Sun Prairie, near Madison. An autopsy revealed the infant had dwindled to just 5 pounds, having lost more than a pound since birth. The investigation uncovered that Strait and Keys were feeding the child predominantly almond milk due to her difficulties with breastfeeding, and she refused to use formula.
“Taryn believed that every baby formula, regardless of brand, contained lead. She watched online videos showing people using magnets to extract lead from the formula,” the complaint noted.
On the morning of his death, Strait reportedly checked on her son at around 2:30 a.m. at their apartment and noticed he “did not appear OK,” according to police reports, as his face had turned blue. She picked him up and found he was unresponsive. Concerned about ambulance fees, the couple chose to drive him to the hospital instead of calling 911.
Despite efforts by medical staff, the infant could not be saved.
Investigators later learned Dev’Kumar had a doctor’s appointment a few days after his birth. Concerned the boy was losing weight, doctors told the parents to increase his feeding schedule to every two hours. Medical staff set a doctor’s appointment for two weeks later but the parents never showed up and did not answer subsequent messages.
Dane County Child Protective Services was notified and attempted to call the parents but “no one answered so messages were left,” cops wrote. Clinic staff eventually got ahold of Strait and offered appointments in the coming days. But she said it was “too short of notice” and never scheduled any future appointments.
An autopsy confirmed the boy died of starvation and dehydration.
During the sentencing, prosecutors admonished Strait for not putting her son’s needs first.
“You protect and nourish your child,” Assistant District Attorney Will Davis said, per local NBC affiliate WJFW. “Ms. Strait does none of those things.”
Her attorney reportedly blamed her client’s mental health problems along with her addictions to drug and alcohol. Keys was also abusive toward Strait, her lawyer claimed. Strait reportedly apologized, acknowledged her behavior was wrong and said her son’s death will have “a lot of impact” on her for the rest of her life.
Circuit Judge Nicholas McNamara said he couldn’t fathom the selfishness Strait showed by ordering food and having sex with her boyfriend “while the starving baby was there.”
The case also raised questions about CPS, and why the agency did not do more to help the boy before he died. WJFW obtained a copy of a summary report for Dev’Kumar’s death that said the agency’s initial assessment “found insufficient evidence to substantiate neglect of the infant by the parents.”
“The agency closed the case upon completion of the Initial Assessment, and no service referrals were made,” the document stated.
The agency has declined to elaborate on why it did not check on the boy.
