POLK COUNTY, FL – A Florida woman, Patricia Saintizaire, 36, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in relation to the death of her four-year-old adopted son. Saintizaire was apprehended after the hospital staff alerted authorities of the boy’s death under “suspicious circumstances,” according to information released by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
An autopsy of the boy revealed a deep liver laceration, attributed to targeted blunt force trauma, and a mix of old and fresh scars on his back. The liver injury led to his rapid health deterioration, as per the autopsy.
Initially, the victim’s teenage older brother denied any instances of abuse or having witnessed any. However, once under the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families, he told detectives of being threatened with a gun by Saintizaire and instructed to withhold information to avoid her getting into trouble. It was revealed that Saintizaire had accused the younger boy of “faking it” when he presented with signs of lethargy and inability to walk.
Home surveillance footage retrieved from Saintizaire’s phone allegedly documented her hitting the immobile child with an object and, in another clip, forcefully throwing him into a pool with his hands bound behind him.
Besides first-degree murder, charges of aggravated child abuse and tampering with a witness have been filed against Saintizaire. As of now, her plea remains unknown and there is no confirmation on whether she has sought legal representation.