TUCSON, Ariz. (TCD) — A mother and her boyfriend are in custody nearly six months after a child with apparent signs of abuse and neglect reportedly developed sepsis and died.
In November 2023, officers with the Tucson Police Department responded to a home on East Limberlost Drive, where they found a 11-year-old boy deceased. Authorities said the child “suffered from numerous medical conditions,” and he was “completely dependent on care from his guardians.”
According to police, the victim lived in the residence with his mother, 33-year-old Ariel Horn, and her boyfriend, 29-year-old Charles McClellan Jr., as well as three other siblings.
For months, authorities said the case remained open as an unknown death as investigators worked to develop further reports and conduct additional interviews.
An autopsy revealed the 11-year-old sustained serious lesions and developed sepsis. Police said the sores were “attributed to not receiving proper medical attention and neglect by his mother and her boyfriend.”
Investigators also discovered evidence of alleged fentanyl use in the residence.
Officials arrested McClellan and Horn on May 1 on charges of child abuse and first-degree murder. They were booked into the Pima County Jail on $1 million bond each.
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