Qwentosha and Louis Massaquoi, ages 46 and 47, respectively, have been accused of killing their 12-year-old boy by starving him to death in Florida. Allegedly, the victim lived almost exclusively indoors and, at the time of his death, was found “emaciated with all bones visible.”
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According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law & Crime, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a call from Louis at around 7:36 a.m. on January 27, 2025. He reported that his 12-year-old son was “weak and possibly passed away.”
Emergency medical personnel arrived at the Massaquoi residence and found him unresponsive. Lifesaving measures were unfruitful, and the boy was pronounced dead at around 7:57 a.m.
The Massaquois told police during the investigation that the boy had been feeling sick “over the past few days.” They provided a list of symptoms, including loss of appetite and constipation. When questioned on why they didn’t seek medical assistance earlier, they allegedly said that their “religious beliefs” prohibited them from doing so.
No religious denomination was provided by either parent. Furthermore, investigators found that Qwentosha Massaquoi later underwent oral surgery, which required a blood transfusion. This, according to police, proves that the religious belief claim was false.
‘Obvious Signs Of Malnourishment’
When assessing the 12-year-old’s body, doctors stated that the child was “severely dehydrated, malnourished, and extremely emaciated.” This was confirmed by a subsequent autopsy, with a medical examiner noting that the boy “presented obvious signs of malnourishment.”
The examiner added that the boy was so emaciated that all of his bones were visible.
After obtaining both parents’ cellphones, disturbing videos were allegedly found. The video allegedly showed both Qwentosha and Louis Massaquoi mocking and taunting the boy with water.
“Videos were found of Louis Sr. taunting and making fun of the decedent by saying ‘oh, your thirsty, oh you want water, you always want water,'” the affidavit alleges.
In another video, Louis allegedly mocked the deceased boy for wearing a diaper.
As a result, investigators wrote that both parents were “maliciously torturing, punishing, and mistreating the decedent” when the alleged videos were recorded.
Furthermore, videos shown of the 12-year-old from weeks before his untimely death showed him appearing healthy. This fact means that, potentially, the child suffered a dramatic decline in his health in a very short time.
This also aligned with the alleged searches one parent made in the days leading up to the boy’s death. These searches include “unexplained weight loss,” “excessive thirst,” urinary incontinence,” and “life insurance needs calculator,” among others.
The searches allegedly continued 10 minutes before the initial 911 call. The other parent allegedly searched “what to do when a child dies” and “what to do when a person dies in Florida.” The same phone was also used to call a local funeral home, as per the affidavit.
Qwentosha and Louis Massaquoi were arrested on Wednesday, June 18. They were both charged with aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse.