Philly Area Parents charged in boy's starvation (extremely sad story)

[LynneSin]

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/6319331.htm

This story is just sad!


Parents charged in boy's starvation
Both face third-degree murder in the death of one son and charges of neglect of his 4 siblings.
By Keith Herbert and Jeff Shields
Inquirer Staff Writers


BOB WILLIAMS / Inquirer

Tamra, (left), and James Seymore were arraigned and held without bail in the death of their son Shawn, 4.


A Lansdale-area couple were charged yesterday with third-degree murder in the death last month of their 4-year-old quadruplet son Shawn, who starved in a squalid home filled with food and well-fed pets, authorities said.

James and Tamra Seymore of Towamencin were also charged with endangering the lives of all five of their malnourished children. A Philadelphia forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy called Shawn's death one of the worst cases of child neglect he had ever seen.

Informed by a doctor in May 2000 that their son needed special medical attention, the Seymores chose to wait, detectives said. On June 5, Shawn - too weak to walk, talk, eat or move his bowels - stopped breathing and died, without ever having seen another doctor.

He lived in an apartment at the Morgandale Condominiums that was brimming with food, yet at 25 pounds, he was 11 pounds under the normal weight for a healthy 4-year-old. The coroner categorized him as emaciated, yet he outweighed two of his siblings, Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. said.

The five dogs and three cats the family kept as pets were hearty and healthy, with the exception of a Maltese puppy who was underweight. The day before his son died, James Seymore stopped to buy the dog nutritional supplements, "because the puppy needed to gain weight," according to a 24-page arrest affidavit.

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[Tinoire]

1. Speechless. Absolutely horrified.

None of the quadruplets - boys Michael and Matthew, and a girl, Karolyn - could walk, talk, swallow properly, or even sit up when they were found, investigators said. <snip> Since they were taken from their parents' "home-based" care, Castor said, the children have thrived. Matthew gained five pounds in a month and was running and talking,

I am so happy for the children who made it into a better environment but so heart-broken for the little boy- thankful though that his suffering is over.

It's literally impossible for me to imagine what those children went through- what they suffered. I can't think of a fitting punishment for the parents. This is one of those UNFORGIVABLE CRIMES.

[commander bunnypants]

2. I am just shaking my head

Damn sad story


DEMMAN

[MountainLaurel]

3. Not a violent gal

But when I read stories like this I could choke the life out of these people with absolutely no remorse. Especially considering that the DOGs were all in perfect health.

I don't think much about hell, but if it exists, I hope there's an especially nasty corner for these folks.

:nuke: