5-Year-Old Boy Dies Weighing Just 19 Lbs. After Parents Allegedly Neglected Him: He 'Fit in an Infant Body Bag' By Bailey Richards

A pair of Louisiana parents have been arrested and charged with negligent homicide after their 5-year-old child died while so underweight that his body could fit into an infant-sized body bag.

Authorities first became aware of the situation on the evening of New Year’s Day, according to a news release from the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office (APSO). Around 9:00 p.m. local time on Jan. 1, APSO deputies responded to a “reported medical emergency involving a juvenile” at a gas station in Geismar, La., and arrived to find Marlon Perilloux, 33, and his 5-year-old son, Marley, who was unresponsive. 

Deputies administered CPR, and emergency services attempted other lifesaving measures on the boy, who was then transported to a nearby hospital, but efforts were unsuccessful, the sheriff’s office said.

“Within a couple minutes, the child was transported to a local hospital where they continued to work on the child for about 40, 45 minutes before the child just passed away,” Col. Donald Capello with the APSO told local outlet WAFB.

The child’s cause of death is not immediately clear. An autopsy is pending, per WAFB.

At the time of his death, Marley weighed approximately 19 lbs., the sheriff’s office said. He was 35 inches tall, per WAFB. 

Investigators said it was unclear when he last ate, according to the outlet.

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Detectives with the APSO “immediately opened an investigation following reports of apparent injuries on the juvenile and additional concerns of child neglect, including severe malnourishment,” according to the news release.

Upon executing a search warrant at the home where Marley lived with father Perilloux and mother Raynisa Young, 27, detectives described the interior as being in “poor condition and barely livable” due to the parents’ negligence. Images of the residence obtained by WAFB show dirty, stained mattresses on the floor, which was littered with trash.

Through interviews with Perilloux and Young, detectives learned that Marley’s parents had “failed to ensure proper hygiene, feeding, and medical care” of him, the APSO said. The 5-year-old had been bedridden and never left the residence, WAFB reported, citing investigators.

Speaking with the outlet, Capello said Marley’s case is “probably the worst case of child neglect I’ve seen in my 34 years of law enforcement.”

“To put it in perspective, when the coroners come out, there are body bags for adults, and there are body bags for infants. And this child, 5 years old, fit in an infant body bag,” he told WAFB.

Perilloux and Young have since been arrested and booked into the Ascension Parish Jail with no bond, according to the sheriff’s office.

Three other children in the home were removed by the state following the arrests, WAFB reported.

Perilloux and Young have both been charged with negligent homicide and second-degree cruelty to juveniles, as well as possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and illegal carrying of weapons, the APSO said. Additional or upgraded charges are pending.

The investigation is ongoing.

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.