'Disturbing': Freeport Couple Accused Of Burning, Malnourishing Toddler Face Assault Charge, DA Says

FREEPORT, NY — A Freeport couple is facing first-degree assault charges this week after prosecutors alleged that they had malnourished and physically abused their three-year-old daughter, whom prosecutors say they found bruised, burned and emaciated in June of last year.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly’s office said Monday that 27-year-old Hanchelove Decius and 28-year-old Evenson Francois were arraigned on a first-degree assault charge and had both pleaded not guilty. They were both remanded and are due back in court Apr. 24, prosecutors said.

Donnelly’s office said the charges stemmed from a Jun. 8, 2025 incident in which the three-year-old girl was scalded with burning liquid that left third-degree burns on her chest and lower body.

Upon treatment of the burns, prosecutors said doctors made shocking discoveries about the condition the three-year-old was in. Hospital staff, Donnelly said, discovered scarring lesions, lacerations and bruises on the girl’s body, in addition to scarring on her face, forehead and nose, and open lacerations on her right eyebrow and chin. All of the injuries, prosecutors said, had gone untreated.

When reached for comment Monday, Decius’ attorney, Joe LoPiccolo, said the case needed comprehensive investigation, including into the presence of any witnesses of the alleged conduct and how the conduct prosecutors are alleging came to light.

“We have received allegations and intend to learn as much as possible about the basis for the allegations,” LoPiccolo said. “It has to be investigated thoroughly and then defended as strongly as possible.”

From Donnelly’s point of view, the case was simply ‘disturbing.’

“After suffering severe third-degree burns, medical professionals made several disturbing discoveries of alleged prolonged physical abuse when they examined the defendants’ three-year-old daughter,” Donnelly said. “The scaring, bruising, and other injuries indicated that the child had been abused for months, and her emaciated appearance suggested she was also being denied basic nourishment to survive.”

According to the prosecution, the abuse had begun in October of 2024 and continued for several months, during which time the girl’s mother and father deprived her of food and physically abused her.

Francois was arrested Friday while Decius was arrested Monday, prosecutors said. If convicted, the parents could face 25 years in jail, prosecutors said. As for the child, Donnelly said she was recovering.

“Thankfully, with proper care, the young girl is quickly recovering from the horrors she allegedly endured at the hands of her parents, and my prosecutors will ensure that they are held responsible for every scar,” Donnelly said.