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The Sheriff's Office presented pictures of a bloody sandal, and injuries sustained by one of the children Wednesday. PHOTO/SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Calling it, "One of the worst cases of child abuse in Osceola County history, and the worst I've ever seen," Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez announced murder charges against a a couple in the death of their 6-year-old, and abuse charges in the neglect of five other children.
At a Wednesday press conference, Lopez noted the State Attorney's Office, in addition to the murder charge, has charged Larry Rhodes, 22, and Bianca Blaise, 25, with aggravated manslaughter, aggravated child abuse and five counts of child neglect.
"Our detective has been here 19 years and never seen anything like that," the Sheriff said. "I've been here since 2003 and I've never seen anything like that."
"First there's a death, and (the children) had too many injuries to count," said Det. Suzanne Clouchete. "Horrible injuries on all of the children. This was very hard for all of us."
It all stems from a July 5 call when deputies responded to the suspects' hotel room at the Knights Inn on U.S. Highway 192, and found Rhodes holding a six-year-old child who was not breathing. According to court documents, Blaise said she had been out to get a drug test, and returned to the hotel, went to use the bathroom and found one of the children with their head in the toilet bowl.
Rhodes and Blaise reportedly told 911 responders the child's "head was in the toilet like (he or she) was drinking water," and at some point became unconscious. Deputies also found other children in the room, some with physical marks, and one told a deputy they were hit (by whom is redacted in the report). Witnesses from an adjoining room reported hearing a "thud" from coming from the family's room.
At the time, the two were arrested and charged with child neglect. As the gruesome investigation continued, more charges of child neglect with great bodily harm and aggravated child abuse were levied, and after the six-year-old died "days later" after being taken to the hospital with massive internal injuries, murder charges were levied Tuesday after an investigation of the evidence.
After getting a search warrant for the room the next day, investigators found "multiple swabs of suspected blood found throughout the room," a 9-millimeter handgun reported stolen from Fort Lauderdale, a semi-automatic rifle and additional firearm magazines.
"They are responsible for the brutal murder of a six-year-old child, and the abuse of the five other children," Lopez said Wednesday, showing evidence photos of abuse marks on the children — the tamest ones they could find. The photos included the bottom of a sandal, which investigators said the parents had used to punish any of the children who misbehaved — it clearly showed blood on it.
"Our investigation found the child was drinking from the toilet, but that had nothing to with why his wasn't breathing," he said. "He wasn't breathing because his parents got very angry because he was drinking out of the toilet, and they started to beat him. First the mother, then the father starting repeating punching him multiple times in the head and stomach. It was determined he suffered a brain bleed and a lacerated liver."
The cause of death was reported as blunt-force trauma to the head and abdomen, Lopez said.
The children — all Rhodes' and Blaise's biological children — ranged in age from 10 months to the six-year-old. Lopez said the family came from the Fort Myers area in March, had been living in the motel, and the children were not in school or had any social connections outside their parents. Blaise said she had been working for Uber and Shipt, the incident report said. There's no working knowledge if Rhodes was working. Lopez said Rhodes had a short criminal record in Lee County, and Blaise did not, and had briefly bonded out on the original neglect charges.
Two of the children were able to speak to investigators and give details about the abuse they received from their parents. Lopez said the surviving children, who looked abused and malnourished, are currently all together in the same foster home, and "doing very well."
"It was horrible, imagine being beaten so much that blood was left behind," he said of the horrific details of the case, noting blood splatters were also found on the walls and on the children's clothes. "They were savages. We got there in time to take the other kids from these monsters, and hopefully they'll never see these people again, and they get a hefty sentence."
