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In South Carolina, a couple faced a court decision on Thursday, resulting in their continued detention without bond, following charges related to the tragic death of their 4-year-old son.
As reported by WHNS, the incident unfolded on September 19 when Destiny Dionne and Joshua Latimer made a distress call to 911, reporting that their son, Isaiah Dionne, was unresponsive. Upon arrival, emergency medical personnel noted the child’s body was alarmingly cold.
Subsequent to their arrest, the couple was denied bond. However, Dionne has sought a reconsideration of this decision through a new legal motion.
During the proceedings, prosecutors strongly contested this motion, revealing distressing details of Isaiah’s condition as first responders found him.
“He was essentially reduced to skin and bones,” explained 10th Circuit Solicitor Micah Black. “An EMS worker likened his appearance to what you might see on television depicting starving children in Africa.”
Black said the boy was forced to sleep on a blanket on the floor instead of a bed and mattress. He said the curtains in his room were stapled shut and couldn’t be opened.
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.