A tragic case of child neglect has culminated in murder charges for an Arizona mother and her boyfriend after her 11-year-old son died of sepsis last November. The Tucson police reported that Ariel Horn, 33, and Charles McClellan Jr., 29, were arrested on May 1 as a direct result of investigations into the untimely death of the child, who suffered from various medical issues and was found unresponsive by authorities, according to 12 News.

During the course of the investigation, it was uncovered that the boy had multiple lesions on his body which were neglected medically and subsequently developed into life-threatening sepsis; Tucson police additionally disclosed evidence of extensive fentanyl use in the family's home, simultaneously piercing the curtain of domestic secrecy and a mother's complicity in the erosion of sanctity that she was supposed to impart upon her ailing son.

In response to the findings from the autopsy, the Tucson Police Department have acted on probable cause to charge the couple with first-degree murder and child abuse, as documented in a report by KVOA. Both Horn and McClellan Jr. are being held on a $1 million bond, awaiting further legal proceedings with the gravity of their alleged neglect bearing down upon them.