Charges Upped to Manslaughter in Hartford Autistic Teen's Death

HARTFORD, CT — The February death of an autistic Hartford teenager has been officially ruled a homicide, resulting in the upgrading of charges against the boy's mother to manslaughter.

Katiria Tirado, 33, was originally charged with cruelty to persons in connection with the death of her son Matthew, 17, who died in the early morning hours of February 14 after a medical emergency call at the family's Park Street apartment.

On April 19, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner notified the Hartford Police Major Crimes Division the cause of Matthew Tirado's death was fatal child abuse syndrome with dehydration and malnutrition, and the case was officially declared a homicide, police said.

A new arrest warrant upgrading the charges against Katiria Tirado to first-degree manslaughter was approved by a Hartford Superior Court judge Friday. An additional $750,000 court-set bond was attached to the new warrant, police said.

Katiria Tirado has been held in lieu of $250,000 bond since her Feb. 15 arrest. She is slated to be arraigned on the new charge Monday.

Photo courtesy of Hartford Police Department