Trigger Warning: This article mentions disturbing details about child abuse and death.
Parents who cannot care for their son or daughter in today’s fast-paced, busy, and ever-evolving life should not aspire to be parents! With increasing cases of infant deaths, homicides, and child abuse cases across the globe, perhaps this is a sign of the need to come up with stricter laws against such cases.
While we have written about such cases from Texas, a Florida couple has been arrested and charged in the tragic death of their 12-year-old son, who authorities say died severely malnourished and dehydrated—his body emaciated to the point that “all bones were visible.”
Qwentosha Massaquoi, 46, and Louis Massaquoi, 47, were taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse in association with the death of their homeschooled 12-year-old son. The incident reportedly happened on January 27, 2025.
⚠️ WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions of child torture, starvation, & death.
Qwentosha Massaquoi, 46, & Louis Massaquoi, 47, the parents of a 12-year-old boy, have been arrested in Florida & charged with aggravated manslaughter & aggravated child abuse after their… pic.twitter.com/6wrS012Hys
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) June 22, 2025
As per the popular outlet Law&Crime, on January 27, authorities responded to a 911 call placed by Louis Massaquoi, who told dispatchers his son was “weak and possibly passed away.” Emergency responders arrived at the residence at approximately 7:36 am, but the child could not be brought back to life. He was declared dead before 8:00 am.
The couple told the authorities that their son was very ill with symptoms like vomiting, constipation, abdominal swelling, and lack of appetite. When they questioned Qwentosha and Louis about why they did not take the kid to the hospital for a checkup, they reportedly lied to them, saying that religious beliefs prohibited medical intervention. (but Qwentosha Massaquoi had himself undergone oral surgery and received a blood transfusion in May 2025.)
An affidavit revealing all these details also mentioned that a warrant was executed for electronic devices at the residence. Both parents’ cell phones were seized, where they found videos of the deceased child. The videos showcased Qwentosha and Louis torturing the child while he asked for water. In addition, the father could also allegedly be seen “poking at the decedent with a stick and making fun of him for wearing a diaper.”
𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐢𝐬 & 𝐐𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐢, told deputies the boy had become ill but 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.
The death was ruled a 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞; 𝐛𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞.— Carmine Marceno – Florida’s Law and Order Sheriff (@SheriffLeeFL) June 19, 2025
As per the affidavit, “Videos were found of Louis Sr. taunting and making fun of the decedent by saying ‘oh, your thirsty, oh you want water, you always want water,’ another where Louis Sr. makes fun of the decedent for wearing diaper, another where Louis Sr. takes bottle of water from the decedent and says he can’t have it and you can hear the decedent asking for the water.”
Authorities described the conduct as “malicious torture and punishment,” as their lies were caught, and it was clear that the kid died due to severe dehydration, malnourishment, and extreme emaciation. Moreover, videos recovered from the electronic devices showed that the child appeared healthy and active as of October 2024. However, subsequent footage reveals a stark physical decline—weight loss, visible bones, and loss of color.
What was more horrifying was that minutes before Qwentosha Massaquoi and Louis Massaquoi rang up 911 (the emergency helpline number in America), their search history included a series of queries like “unexplained weight loss in children, distended abdomen causes, excessive thirst in kids,” and what to do when a child dies in Florida.
The shameless couple even searched for what would be their life insurance needs calculator and then lied about the death. Qwentosha and Louis Massaquoi are being held without bond at the Lee County Jail. They are scheduled to be arraigned on July 21, 2025.
We hope justice is served to the deceased son, and we have stricter laws and punishments to make all parents acknowledge that kids deserve love, care, and regard. They are not a trophy to be shown to the world only when they grow up and do better. Children never ask to be born; every parent must look after their children and provide for their basic needs.
