Aurelius Dees, a 1-year-old boy born at home on December 14, 2021, was found deceased on May 1, 2023, at a residence in Las Vegas, Nevada. His mother, Philena Dees, had left her four children — ages 15, 8, 3, and 1 — in the care of the 15-year-old son when she departed for Arizona on April 28, 2023, to try to sell art. The home had no running water for one to two months, no air conditioning (the interior temperature was 90°F), non-functioning toilets filled with feces, and garbage strewn throughout. The 15-year-old discovered the baby unresponsive on May 1 and called 911; first responders declared the child dead and noted he appeared to have been deceased for some time. Aurelius was described as emaciated with almost no body fat, sunken eyes, and purple lips. He had been born at home and had never received medical care. The cause and manner of death remained pending autopsy findings. The mother was subsequently arrested and indicted on child abuse and neglect charges.
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 states: "There is a concern regarding the level of adult supervision present at the time of the fatality." The CBS Austin article details that "Dees left the children, ages eight, three, and one, in the care of her 15-year-old son" and the teenager stated "their mother had left them alone since Friday, April 28, after she went to try and sell art in Arizona." The 8newsnow article adds that the 15-year-old said "his mother had been gone for several days and left him in charge, something which he said occurred regularly." The mother left four children, including a 1-year-old, in the care of a 15-year-old for multiple days without adequate resources.
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
The Law&Crime article describes the toddler as "emaciated" with "almost no body fat": "Aurelius Dees' body appeared small and emaciated. His eyes were sunken in and his lips were purple." The CBS Austin article also notes "an examiner with the Clark County Coroner's office noted that there was 'almost no body fat' on the baby." The 8newsnow article describes the child as "small and emaciated."
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
The CBS Austin article states the 15-year-old "informed officers that both the one-year-old and three-year-old were born at the residence and had never been to a hospital." The Law&Crime article corroborates: "his two youngest siblings were both born in the home and had never seen a doctor." The deceased child had never received any medical care since birth.
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?
Multiple sources describe the sexual assault of the 8-year-old daughter by the mother's boyfriend. The Law&Crime article states Dees "told them that in January 2022 she caught her live-in boyfriend, De La Cruz, 'sexually assaulting her daughter.'" The 8newsnow article states: "Dees told police she witnessed De La Cruz allegedly sexually assaulting the child, then 7, in the living room in January 2022." Juan De La Cruz was charged with "two counts of sexual assault against a child under age 14 and two counts of lewdness with a child under age 14."
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
The 8-year-old sibling was deliberately confined in her bedroom for over a year by her mother, who reversed the lock so it locked from the outside. The Law&Crime article states: "she 'decided to reverse the locks on her room and lock her in the room for her safety.'" The 8newsnow article states: "Dees then allegedly 'removed the doorknob' of the child's bedroom and 'replaced it with a doorknob that had a lock on the outside of the room to keep her locked in the room.' The child was 'locked in her bedroom' for nearly a year." This constitutes prolonged confinement/captivity of a child. Additionally, the deceased child was found emaciated with "almost no body fat," lived in a home without running water for one to two months, and had never seen a doctor, suggesting sustained deprivation of basic necessities.
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?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Philena Dees, the biological mother, was arrested and indicted on child abuse and neglect charges. She left the four children, including the 1-year-old who died, without adequate care. The CBS Austin article states: "Philena Dees was arrested on Friday, May 5 and is being charged with thirteen counts of child abuse and neglect." The Law&Crime article states: "A Clark County grand jury earlier this month indicted Philena Dees on seven counts of first-degree child abuse or neglect charges." She left the children in squalid conditions without running water, working toilets, or air conditioning, and left for Arizona for multiple days.
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?
While the deceased child was only 1 year old and not school-age, the household pattern shows all children were kept out of school. The CBS Austin article states the 15-year-old "had not been to school in about three years. None of the other children had ever attended school." The 8newsnow article adds: "Dees told investigators she never registered with the school district to home-school her children." The 15-year-old, who should have been in 10th grade, had effectively been taken out of school, and the family was isolated from educational institutions.
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)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
The fatality report explicitly lists prior CPS history: "2/25/2020—A referral was received and was coded 'Information Only'. 4/9/2021—A referral was received and was coded 'Information Only'." The 8newsnow article confirms: "CPS had two prior interactions with the family in February 2020 and April 2021, records showed. The referrals were 'coded information only,' according to CPS records."
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?
Philena Dees was arrested and charged in connection with the circumstances surrounding her child's death. The CBS Austin article states: "Philena Dees was arrested on Friday, May 5 and is being charged with thirteen counts of child abuse and neglect after her four children were found alone in terrible conditions." However, the same article notes: "As of Thursday, no charges had be filed regarding the death of the one-year-old." The Law&Crime article reports a grand jury indictment on "seven counts of first-degree child abuse or neglect charges." The arrest was precipitated by the child's death, though specific death-related charges had not been filed at the time of reporting.
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 substantive details not fully addressed by the preceding questions include: (1) The mother's boyfriend Juan De La Cruz sexually assaulted the 8-year-old daughter, and instead of reporting it to police, the mother locked the girl in her bedroom for over a year, admitting she allowed the offender to stay "because he was paying the bills" (Law&Crime article). The 8-year-old later told detectives her door was locked because her mother said she "kept getting in the way" (8newsnow article), contradicting the mother's "for her safety" claim. (2) CPS had two prior referrals in February 2020 and April 2021 that were both coded "Information Only" and did not result in investigations (fatality report). (3) The 15-year-old made a CPS report on April 30, 2023 alleging abuse and neglect — just one day before the baby was found dead (8newsnow article). (4) The house had no running water for one to two months, no air conditioning (90°F inside), and non-functioning toilets filled with feces (8newsnow and Law&Crime articles). (5) The two youngest children were born at home and had never seen a doctor, and the 15-year-old had not attended school in three years (CBS Austin article).
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