Two vegan parents from Florida are accused of starving their 18-month-old son to death by feeding him only raw fruits and vegetables, officials said.
Sheila O’Leary, 35, and Ryan O’Leary, 30, face charges of manslaughter and child neglect in the death last month of their son — who weighed just 17 pounds, the Florida Myers News-Press reported.
Police said the mom called 911 on Sept. 27 to report that the boy was cold and not breathing, while her husband attempted to resuscitate him at their Cape Coral home.
When authorities arrived, the malnourished child was pronounced dead, according to the report.
The mom told officers that the family was vegan and her four kids were on a raw food diet that consisted of mangoes, rambutans, bananas and avocados.
She told authorities that before the toddler’s death, he had not eaten solid food in a week but was being breastfed. She said she believed that was due to teething.
Both parents turned themselves in to police shortly after the medical examiner determined on Nov. 6 that the boy died from malnutrition, the Florida Myers News-Press reported.
They were booked into Lee County jail, where their bond was set at $250,000. The couple is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 9.