A grim child-neglect case out of Boca Raton ended in sentencing Thursday, with a 26-year-old mother ordered to spend 627 days in jail after her one-month-old daughter died from malnutrition.
Delaila Pino Lasalle pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and child neglect in connection with the infant's death, which investigators ultimately ruled a homicide caused by malnutrition. The plea brings to a close a case that began on March 17, 2022, when the newborn was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead, and it also pulled investigators into the health crisis surrounding the baby's twin brother.
Jail Time, Probation And Strict Conditions
Lasalle was sentenced to 627 days behind bars, with credit for time she has already served, and will remain on probation for five years after her release, according to CBS12.
Under the terms of her supervision, Lasalle must undergo a mental health evaluation and complete any recommended treatment, the outlet reports. She is barred from contacting her biological children unless the contact is supervised by their adoptive mother. She is also required to report any future pregnancies and prepare a detailed safety plan if she becomes pregnant while still on probation.
What Investigators Found In The Boca Home
According to court records and the arrest affidavit, first responders were called to Lasalle's home on March 17, 2022, after relatives found the one-month-old girl unresponsive. She was rushed to West Boca Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, WPTV reported.
The Palm Beach County medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide caused by malnutrition. The examiner found that the child's prior health issues did not account for the sharp decline in her condition documented at the time of her death.
Starving Twin, DCF Removal And Recovery
Roughly a week after the girl's death, her twin brother was rushed to a hospital, where doctors described him as suffering from "severe starvation." Records show he weighed just under five pounds before being placed in foster care and later began to gain weight, according to WPBF.
The Department of Children and Families removed the family's other children from the home during the investigation. Records also indicate that Lasalle had traveled from Puerto Rico to Florida for maternal care and delivered the twins via emergency cesarean section in February 2022.
Plea Deal And Long-Term Oversight
By pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter and child neglect with great bodily harm, Lasalle received the 627-day jail term and five years of supervised probation instead of facing the possibility of a longer prison sentence, according to CBS12.
The sentence gives her credit for time already served and layers on conditions aimed at restricting unsupervised contact with her children while adoption and foster-care arrangements remain in place.
