Authorities in Ohio have charged a mother and her boyfriend with multiple felonies following the tragic death of a 7-year-old boy with special needs, who was discovered weighing just 19 pounds at the time of his passing.
According to court records, 28-year-old Joshua Mulvey was arrested last week and charged with one count of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and one count of third-degree child endangerment in connection with the 2023 death of Kristopher Snyder.
The child’s mother, 29-year-old Samantha Hardiman, remains a fugitive after being indicted on two counts of murder, three counts of child endangerment, and one count of involuntary manslaughter.
The Toledo Police Department reported that on June 2, 2023, officers were called to a residence in the 1700 block of Freeman Street around 7:30 p.m. regarding a deceased child. Responding officers found “the special needs victim, Kristopher Snyder,” already deceased, prompting an immediate investigation.
Kristopher reportedly suffered from cerebral palsy and epilepsy, conditions that required consistent medical attention and care.
“The case appears to be a homicide due to neglect,” Toledo Police said in their official statement.
The Lucas County Coroner’s Office later determined that the child’s cause of death was “malnutrition and dehydration associated with cerebral palsy, with epilepsy as another significant condition.” The death was officially ruled a homicide.
During Mulvey’s bond hearing on Wednesday, Lucas County Chief Criminal Prosecutor Jennifer Liptack-Wilson told Judge Joe McNamara that Kristopher was found “completely emaciated,” weighing less than an average healthy 1-year-old.
Prosecutors argued that Mulvey, who had lived in the home for about two years, had a clear responsibility to ensure the boy’s basic nutritional needs were met.
Mulvey, represented by court-appointed public defender Dmitry Tatarko, pleaded not guilty. Tatarko requested his client’s release under house arrest with an ankle monitor, but the motion was denied.
“I do not think I should be here in the first place, but that’s for another day,” Mulvey told the court. “I will be a part of this process. I need answers myself.”
Judge McNamara set Mulvey’s bond at $300,000, and he remains in custody at the Lucas County Correctional Center. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for September 10.
Meanwhile, Hardiman remains at large as authorities continue their search.