The infant girl was one of fraternal twins born on February 5, 2022 at 37 weeks by emergency C-section in Boca Raton, Florida. She was born with a left-sided cleft lip, pneumonia, upper respiratory distress, and a heart defect, and spent approximately two weeks in the NICU before being discharged. After discharge, the mother claimed to be exclusively breastfeeding using a special bottle nipple for the cleft lip, but the infant was not adequately nourished. The mother cancelled one and failed to attend two scheduled pediatric appointments. On March 17, 2022, at approximately 6:00 a.m., the mother found the 40-day-old infant unresponsive, pale, and grayish; the grandmother called 911 and the baby was transported to West Boca Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 7:54 a.m. The baby had lost weight from NICU discharge (2230 grams to 1871 grams at autopsy) and showed signs of severe emaciation. The autopsy determined the cause of death as malnutrition and the manner as homicide. The surviving twin was also found to be severely malnourished and was hospitalized for starvation. The mother, Delaila Pino LaSalle, was arrested on January 30, 2023 and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect, later receiving a sentence of time served plus five years' probation.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
The fatality report explicitly includes "Inadequate Supervision" among DCF's verified findings: "Verified Findings of Death, Failure to Thrive/Malnutrition, Medical Neglect, and Inadequate Supervision as to the child, with the mother and father as the caregivers responsible."
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Malnutrition and starvation are central to this case. The fatality report states: "The decedent was a victim of chronic starvation." The autopsy lists "Cause of Death: Malnutrition" with extensive findings including "Generalized gelatinous atrophy of adipose tissue" and weight "Less than 3rd percentile." The baby weighed 2230 grams at NICU discharge but only 1871 grams at autopsy. The surviving twin's condition was also "classified... as starvation" by the Child Protection Team. The CBS12 article states the twin was rushed to the hospital due to "severe starvation."
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Medical neglect is referenced extensively. The fatality report states the Child Protection Team had "positive findings for medical neglect" and classified the infant's condition as starvation. Additionally, DCF closed the investigation with "Verified Findings of Medical Neglect as to the child, with the mother and father as the caregivers responsible." The mother also cancelled one appointment and "no showed" for two pediatric appointments after the baby's discharge from the NICU.
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
The fatality report states DCF had "Verified Findings of Death, Failure to Thrive/Malnutrition, Medical Neglect, and Inadequate Supervision as to the child, with the mother and father as the caregivers responsible." The father was found responsible as a caregiver, though "No charges were filed as to the father."
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The mother, Delaila Pino LaSalle, was the primary caregiver and was directly involved in the death. She was responsible for feeding the infant and missed multiple pediatric appointments. The fatality report states she "was arrested and charged with Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child and Neglect of a Child" and was named as a caregiver responsible in DCF's verified findings.
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
The child was born with multiple physical conditions. The fatality report's autopsy section lists "Left-sided clefted lip and alveolus with intact palate" and "Probe-patent foramen ovale" (a hole in the heart). The CBS12 article further states the baby had "pneumonia, upper respiratory distress, a left cleft lip, and a hole in her heart." The cleft lip specifically impacted the child's feeding ability, requiring a "bottle that had a special nipple for her cleft palate" per the fatality report.
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
The CBS12 article states the twins "were born at 37 weeks by emergency Cesarean section." The fatality report's autopsy section references the "Fenton preterm infant growth chart" and states the child's "Corrected age at time of death: 2 weeks 5 days," indicating prematurity. The baby's discharge weight from the NICU was 2230 grams (approximately 4.9 pounds), which is below the 2500 gram threshold for low birthweight.
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
The fatality report states: "On January 30, 2023, the mother was arrested and charged with Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child and Neglect of a Child." She was subsequently sentenced. The CBS12 article confirms: "Lasalle appeared in court on Wednesday morning on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect with great bodily harm."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the text. First, the mother had been living in Puerto Rico for most of her pregnancy and came to the U.S. mainland only for a holiday visit, staying due to pregnancy complications—per CBS12: "Lasalle had lived in Puerto Rico for most of her pregnancy, but came to visit her mom for the holidays in 2021. Due to complications, and at the request of her doctors, she decided to stay in the United States." Second, the baby actually lost weight after NICU discharge: the fatality report documents 2230 grams at discharge but only 1871 grams at autopsy, a loss of 359 grams. Third, the medical examiner explicitly "ruled out any pre-existing medical conditions that could've contributed to the girl's death" per CBS12, undermining the mother's claim that the cleft lip prevented feeding. Fourth, while both parents were found responsible by DCF, no charges were filed against the father. Fifth, the mother's relatively light sentence of time served plus probation is noteworthy given the homicide manner-of-death determination.
These fields were populated by an AI model and may contain inaccuracies. Review the links and PDFs provided for verification before citing. Contact [email protected] to report any inaccuracies where corrections are needed.