OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The father of a 6-year-old boy who was discovered deceased in a hotel in Osceola County over two years ago has been officially accused by a grand jury.
Larry Rhodes, 25, was formally charged on Wednesday with first-degree murder, as well as two counts of aggravated child abuse and four counts of child abuse related to the death of his son and the mistreatment of his other children, stated a news release from the state attorney’s office.
Authorities were called to a Knights Inn in Kissimmee on July 5, 2022, after receiving reports of a drowning incident, during which the emergency call notes suggested that a person’s head had been submerged in a toilet.
The child later died at the hospital. Investigators determined the boy died from injuries sustained from child abuse and found evidence other children in the hotel room suffered from physical abuse and neglect.
During a news briefing, Sheriff Marcos Lopez called the case “one of the worst child abuse cases in the history of Osceola County, any of us up here have ever seen.”
Rhodes’ girlfriend, Bianca Blaise, was also arrested in connection with the death of the 6-year-old and the abuse of five others. At last check, Blaise is still in custody and faces charges.
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