A Daytona Beach stepfather has been arrested as part of a child-abuse investigation where a severely neglected 5-year-old was discovered weighing under 25 pounds.
Brian Hall, 29, is married to the child’s mother, Naomi Hall, who is accused of allowing this abuse to take place. She was arrested last week and posted bond, according to theroot.com.
Department of Children and Families investigators were visiting their Daytona Beach home on June 28, when they discovered the 5-year-old on the living room floor. The young victim was extremely thin, and seemed to be dehydrated.
He was found trying to eat cereal scraps from the carpet. The report also shows that the child’s hands and feet were orange, and that he had blisters all over his body.
The mother, Naomi Hall, told investigators that she would often neglect to feed him for 3 or 4 days at a time. She also failed to provide his medication. The young boy was unable to stand or speak.
When investigators asked the stepfather, Brian Hall, about this deplorable abuse, he replied:
“He is not my responsibility; I’m not his father. I come from a rich and white family.”
He pointed to the two other children in the living who are his, and said, “Those two are taken care of.”
He is facing charges of failure to report suspected child abuse or neglect.
All the children were taken into DCF custody.
