A stepmother who allegedly left a five-year-old boy “naked” outside her home before he drowned in a hole filled with “faecal matter and urine” has been charged with manslaughter.
Cheyenne Star Fite, 25 years old, reportedly He left Riley Scot Hogeback outside the property in Osceola County, Florida, as ‘punishment’ for ‘hurting a chicken’ and then went to sleep. But the young man tragically died after being found in an artificial ditch filled with suspected animal waste.
Police with the Osceola Sheriff’s Office said they responded to an emergency call around 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 11 about the injured child, according to a probable cause affidavit seen by the Law and crime website. And when they arrived, they found Riley “unresponsive, naked and covered in mud.”
He was then rushed to a hospital, but less than an hour later he was pronounced dead from drowning. Fite told investigators he had been babysitting Riley and her two brothers, ages three and five. He said he had let the children “fool around” in the yard because the power had gone out to the house.
The area was dotted with puddles after Hurricane Helene. Fite said he had only turned his back for “five minutes” before the tragedy unfolded. The affidavit seen by States of law and crime: “Cheyenne (Fite) stated that while the children were playing, she turned her back on them for approximately 5 minutes to fold clothes inside the trailer.
Suddenly, Cheyenne (fita) He hears his 5-year-old daughter scream, “(redacted) is under water.” However, Cheyenne (Fite) did not believe (her daughter) initially and continued with her task.” Fite said he later pulled Riley out of the hole a family friend had created during the day near a pigsty. Police said the ditch appeared to be filled with waste from farm animals.
Their report indicated that there was “an odor emanating from the water consistent with fecal matter and urine.” But one of Riley’s brothers told police that Fite had left him “outside naked as a form of punishment because he was hurting a chicken earlier that day,” according to the affidavit. And the witness further confirmed in the documents that Fite was “asleep in bed” while Riley drowned.
Riley’s father also reported to police that he “had suspicions” that Fite “was not properly supervising his son at the time,” according to Law & Crime. He said he was at work when the tragedy occurred. He also said he was “furious because a hole was dug without his knowledge and that hole was where his son drowned.”
Fite was later charged with aggravated murder of a child. An obituary posted on Legacy’s website said Riley was “the embodiment of kindness.” It says: “Riley was a child of joy and laughter, filling the lives of all who knew him with boundless love and cherished memories.
Riley’s infectious smile and bright eyes were a testament to her kind and loving nature. He was the embodiment of kindness and had a heart that was always willing to help others. His love for life was evident in his every action, from his enthusiastic climbs to his playful impersonations of Spiderman, his favorite superhero. “Riley was a source of light and happiness, and her presence was a gift to her family and friends.”