Dad taunted dehydrated son with water before the boy died, Florida cops say

Two parents accused of neglecting their 12-year-old son and not getting him medical attention before he died have been indicted on murder charges in Florida.

A grand jury indicted 46-year-old Qwentosha Massaquoi and 47-year-old Louis Moinina Massaquoi on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and failure to report suspected child abuse, abandonment or neglect, the State Attorney’s Office for the 20th Judicial Circuit said Sept. 15.

McClatchy News reached out to the couple’s attorneys for comment Sept. 16 but did not immediately receive a response.

The dad called 911 the morning of Jan. 27, 2025, reporting that his 12-year-old son “was sick and possibly passed away” after dealing with stomach issues for several days, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office wrote in an arrest affidavit.

When first responders arrived at the Cape Coral home, they pronounced the boy dead, deputies said.

The Massaquois described how their son had experienced issues eating and drinking recently, and he exclusively wore a diaper, according to the report.

But a doctor who performed the autopsy said the 12-year-old was emaciated and dehydrated, with multiple infections that would have developed over a long time, not a few days, deputies wrote.

Law enforcement searched the couple’s phones and found a video of the dad taunting the boy with a bottle of water and withholding it as the boy could be heard asking for it, according to the report.

Deputies said the couple had also been conducting Google searches about their son’s health issues, showing they knew the boy needed medical help but declined to take him to a doctor.

The couple told investigators that they didn’t take their children to the doctor “due to their beliefs,” saying they believed “if they give everything to God, he will fix it,” deputies wrote in the affidavit.

But investigators learned the mom underwent oral surgery and had a blood transfusion, which deputies said contradicted the couple’s assertion that seeking medical care went against their beliefs, according to the affidavit.

Call records showed the couple called a funeral home before dialing 911 the morning their son died, according to the affidavit.

The Massaquois were arrested in June, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Cape Coral is part of the Fort Myers metropolitan area in southwest Florida.