Giovanni De Lao: 6 years old, 17 lbs

Giovanni De Lao was saved by his grandparents. They requested a welfare check on the 6-year-old boy who suffers with Down Syndrome. But it wasn’t the Down Syndrome that constituted the greater portion of Giovanni’s suffering – it was his mother, Rachel Perez. The grandparents hadn’t seen Giovanni in 4 months when they asked authorities to go to the rental home in Desoto, Kansas, where Rachel, her 2 daughters and Giovanni lived. On August 17th deputies arrived at the home and were told by Rachel Perez that Giovanni was staying with his biological father.

But Perez had an outstanding and unrelated warrant for arrest, so the deputies took her in. The grandparents remained insistent that the child was there and deputies returned at 11 pm that night to search the house. What they found was an emaciated 6-year-old boy in an attic stifling with summer heat; a child who only weighed 17 lbs. Giovanni and the walls of his prison were covered in feces. His bones could be seen through his gaunt skin and his skull skeletal structure could easily be seen.

Property manager Tim Roberson had been in the attic…he understands how hot it could get up there in the summer. He’s been to the house since Perez was arrested and Giovanni was discovered and taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital where he remains in the care of physicians. Roberson describes the conditions in the attic as disgusting. But he also discloses something else that is very telling. Roberson never knew Perez had a son. Neighbors of Perez never saw the boy either when Rachel and her two daughters would take walks. They were told by Perez that her son had Down Syndrome and lived with his father.

The grandparents are seeking custody of all three children. They are angry at the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, the state agency tasked with the protection of children, because the grandparents claim they had made previous reports and the agency did not take action.

Giovanni continues to recover in the hospital and is said to now be putting on weight and playing with toys.

Meanwhile, Rachel Perez is being held on $250,000 bond for charges of child abuse and child endangerment. Her attorney just requested that her bond be lowered to $5000 or less because of her high-risk pregnancy. What the attorney doesn’t realize that the mere fact Perez is pregnant at all constitutes a “high-risk” to the unborn child (lest it be defective, I guess and require what appears to be her “attic treatment” for children who fall below her standard)…and for that reason, it would tickle me pink to see the court respond to this request by doubling the bond to a half million.

Valhall.

References:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/08/20/kansas-police-malnourished-year-old-boy-attic/

http://www.aolnews.com/crime/article/grandparents-want-custody-of-6-year-old-giovanni-de-lao-boy-found-in-attic/19604842

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/19/2161957/mother-of-boy-found-confined-in.html

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