On Thursday, a couple from South Carolina faced a judge and were denied bond after being charged in the tragic death of their 4-year-old son.
As reported by WHNS, emergency responders rushed to the residence of Destiny Dionne and Joshua Latimer on September 19 following a distress call reporting their son, Isaiah Dionne, was unresponsive. Upon arrival, paramedics noted the boy felt cold to the touch.
Subsequent to their arrest, the couple was refused bond, though Dionne has since submitted a motion seeking its reconsideration.
However, prosecutors opposed the motion, presenting the court with harrowing details of Isaiah’s condition when help arrived.
“He was, quite literally, skin and bones,” explained 10th Circuit Solicitor Micah Black. “One of the EMS workers likened his appearance to images of malnourished children often seen on television.”
Black further revealed that Isaiah was made to sleep on a blanket on the floor, rather than a proper bed. Additionally, the curtains in his room had been stapled shut, preventing any light from entering.
Black further said that evidence indicated the child had been locked in a closet at some point and said the parents often denied the boy water, forcing him to drink from a toilet.
Neighbors told investigators that they’d brought food to the home following a medical incident and that Isaiah rapidly ate adult-sized portions. They did not report the information.
Black further said said Isaiah hadn’t seen a doctor in two years, although another child in the home had seen a doctor. The other child appeared fine, he said, and is now in state custody.
A medical examiner is still waiting toxicology reports before releasing a cause of death.
Dionne and Latimer, who was a South Carolina state trooper until his arrestoi, are charged with homicide by child abuse and unlawful conduct towards a child. Latimer had been a state trooper since 2017.
