Boy, 11, with Special Needs Was 'Completely Dependent' on Mom. He Died After She Neglected Him for Long Stretches

An Arizona couple has been sentenced in connection with the death of the woman’s 11-year-old son, who had special needs.

Ariel Lea Horn, 34, and Charles Jackson McClellan Jr., 30, were arrested after Horn’s son died at their Tucson home in November 2023, according to a Tucson Police statement. (McClellan was Horn’s boyfriend at that time.) 

A 911 call was placed to report an unresponsive child, but when emergency responders arrived to the couple’s home, they found Horn’s son already deceased.

The little boy had suffered renal failure as a result of sepsis. He also had various lesions across his body, per the police statement.

“The sores on the child’s body were attributed to not receiving proper medical attention and neglect by his mother and her boyfriend,” the statement said. It also said the little boy had various health conditions and was “completely dependent” on care from Horn and McClellan.

A nurse at the child’s school reportedly spotted the child’s sores and told the family he’d need a doctor’s note to return to school, according to 13 News. However, the couple did not take the child to the doctor, and he went on to miss “several” appointments, per the outlet. His caregivers also failed to move the child as he suffered from the sores, causing an “environment for bacteria to grow and skin to break down,” per court documents viewed by 13 News.

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Tucson police found evidence of rampant fentanyl use within the home, per the statement.

Horn and McClellan were arrested in 2024. They pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse in January 2025. (They had previously faced a first-degree murder charge, per 13 News).

On March 10, Horn was sentenced to seven years in prison with nearly a year of credit for time served. McClellan was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison with nearly a year credit for time served.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.