Lindenhurst Couple Denied Children Medical Care For Years: DA

LINDENHURST, NY — A Lindenhurst husband and wife have been indicted after they allegedly denied two of their children medical care for years, leaving both critically ill and one in need of a heart transplant, Suffolk County prosecutors said Friday.

The couple, whose names are being withheld to protect the identities of their children, were each charged with two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment, three counts of third-degree assault and eight counts of endangering the welfare of a child, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

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The investigation began after the couple's youngest child, then 4 years old, was brought to a doctor on Oct. 2, 2024, because of concerns that the child was constipated, prosecutors said.

The child had not received medical care since he was 2 months old and was found to be in critical condition, according to the district attorney's office. He was taken to Good Samaritan University Hospital for emergency treatment.

Doctors determined the child was in heart failure because of chronic iron-deficiency anemia allegedly caused by a diet consisting primarily of cow's milk mixed with strawberry syrup, prosecutors said.

He was transferred to Cohen Children's Medical Center and later to NYU Langone Health in Manhattan for a heart transplant, according to the district attorney's office.

Investigators who visited the family's home found the couple's 9-year-old son malnourished, pale and wearing a diaper, prosecutors said.

The boy was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where doctors determined he was critically ill and severely anemic. He had not received medical care since he was 2 years old and had never been enrolled in school, prosecutors said.

The child suffered heart damage, including an enlarged left ventricle, allegedly because of chronic iron-deficiency anemia caused by a diet consisting primarily of strawberry milk given through a baby bottle, according to the district attorney's office.

The couple's two older sons, who were 11 and 12 at the time, attended school and received medical care. Both were found to need medical or dental treatment for conditions allegedly caused by inadequate care, prosecutors said.

The defendants were arraigned Thursday before Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Richard Ambro.

Ambro ordered each defendant held on $500,000 cash bail, a $1 million bond or a $5 million partially secured bond while the case is pending.

Each faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted of the top charges, prosecutors said.

"These defendants allegedly neglected two of their children for a prolonged period of time, resulting in devastating and entirely preventable medical consequences," Tierney said. "When parents abandon their duty to care for a child, and the child then suffers serious physical harm as a result, our office will aggressively pursue justice on their behalf."