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Sanford Parents Charged After 5-Month-Old Twins Hospitalized With Severe Malnutrition

Detectives cite hospital findings of extreme undernourishment alongside a home search that turned up no formula.

Overview

  • Leroy Somersall and Madison Smith were arrested in Seminole County on two counts of child neglect with great bodily harm.
  • The twins were brought to a Sanford hospital on Jan. 6 after one was found unresponsive, and staff described both infants as frail, dehydrated, and hypoglycemic.
  • The babies weighed about 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) at admission, with the boy weighing less than at his initial post‑birth discharge and the girl only slightly more.
  • Investigators reported the RV residence contained no formula or empty containers, and affidavits note the parents said they fed fixed small amounts and had not been told to increase feedings; the last pediatric visit was recorded as September.
  • Both infants are expected to survive and have gained weight under hospital care, though their neurological outlook remains unclear as DCF and county investigators continue the case.