A couple were arrested Wednesday in Kissimmee, Florida, for beating their six-year-old son to death after he drank water from the toilet in their hotel room.
Larry Rhodes Jr, 22, and Bianca Blaise, 25, have been charged with murder, but also with the abuse of their five other children.
On July 7, investigators were called to a room at the Knights Inn after a person reported that a child had drowned in a guest room toilet.
Upon arrival, officers discovered the badly beaten young boy who was not breathing
Two other children present told law enforcement that the boy had been beaten. Other hotel guests have also reported hearing a thud and crying.
Investigators say the six-year-old drank water from the toilet because he was thirsty and there was not enough food and water in the room. His parents then allegedly hit him in the head and stomach.
The boy was taken to hospital with a brain hemorrhage and lacerated liver. He succumbed to his injuries a few days later.
The other five children, aged between 10 months and five years, also showed several signs of violence, in addition to being visibly malnourished.
Sheriff Marco Lopez said it is the worst case of child abuse he has seen in his entire career.
“Imagine being beaten until there is blood under your shoe. They were beaten so hard that they couldn’t cry anymore,” he said. “These people were savages.”