Wisconsin parents Kehinde Omosebi and Titilayo Omosebi have been charged with child neglect for refusing to feed their children. According to the parents, the children were not fed for over a month because of a religious fast. One child, 15-years-old, died during this time. The other, an 11-year-old, was in critical condition when the police arrived. The father called the police well after his child died.

Reedsburg Police Chief Timothy Becker said:

The police found the 11-year-old holding a Bible and pamphlets about death. The police also found handwritten letters from the child that said things like “The hunger is too much. Please help me now so I may eat” and “If I don’t get food now I’ll probably die of hunger.” These letters were addressed to “Lawyers of Sauk County Circuit Court.”

The parents do not believe they did anything wrong because it was a religious fast. The father said they were waiting for a “blessing from God” before eating again. The father also claimed to be a minister, but there were no records that could confirm that.

This is such a tragic story of child abuse. Maybe this family genuinely believed that God would provide food for them. Or maybe they were trying to use religion as an excuse for their abuse. Either way it’s a horrible situation and at least the parents were caught while one of their children was still alive.

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