A Sanford mother has been sentenced to 45 months in prison after pleading no contest to starving her premature twins so severely that the infants were found malnourished at the hospital. Madison Smith, 24, entered her plea to two counts of neglect of a child with great bodily harm on April 29, and her co-defendant, 24-year-old Leroy Somersall III, entered an identical no-contest plea earlier this week, on September 3.
According to Tampa Free Press, the twins were born one month premature, and the twin girl weighed more than 5.7 pounds at birth. By the time the couple brought the infants to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children on January 6, both twins, then five months old, weighed only about 5.7 pounds each — meaning they had failed to gain any weight in the months since birth, and had in some measure fallen back to where they started. Both infants were expected to survive, though the same report notes they may suffer lasting neurological damage. A 2024 review available through the National Institutes of Health's PubMed Central says growth in all preterm infants should be monitored weekly so declining growth can be identified and nutritional strategies implemented.
A Baby Boy Found Unresponsive
The case reached Seminole County Sheriff's detectives after Child Protective Services reported the infants' deteriorating condition to authorities on January 6, prompting deputies to respond to the hospital, as Law & Crime reported at the time. The twin boy had become completely unresponsive at home before the couple brought him in, according to the report. Medical staff who examined him found he was dehydrated and malnourished to the point where every bone was visible, according to the arrest affidavit.
Hoodline's earlier coverage of the case, drawing on affidavit details reported by WESH, described the male infant as “dusky in color” and visibly abnormal upon admission, with the twins showing dehydration and visible bones. Given the severity of their condition, the twins were transferred via emergency medical transport to the Orlando pediatric hospital for specialized treatment.
Parents Say They Misjudged the Feedings
Smith and Somersall told investigators they did not realize they needed to increase the twins' formula amounts as the infants grew, and that they had assumed the babies were simply lean because Somersall himself is thin. Smith said a pediatrician had advised feeding the babies 70 to 80 milliliters of formula every two hours — a newborn-sized portion that clinical pediatric feeding standards say should scale up substantially, from roughly 2 to 3 ounces per feeding as newborns to 6 to 8 ounces per feeding by 4 to 6 months of age, according to CafeMom. Smith had not consulted a pediatrician since September 2025, months before the hospital visit.
Central Florida physician Dr. Jason Littleton told WFTV that hospital discharge protocols standardly require new parents to schedule an initial pediatrician appointment before leaving the facility, raising questions about the family's post-discharge medical follow-through. The same outlet reported that an arrest affidavit showed Smith had tested positive for THC when she gave birth to the twins. Deputies who searched the family's RV found no baby formula inside, even though a neighbor near the Sanford site said local churches could have provided help.
Bond, Custody Orders and the Path to Sentencing
At their initial court appearance in January, a Seminole County judge set bond at $100,000 each, ordered both parents held at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility, required GPS monitoring upon any release, and issued no-contact orders covering both the children and each other, according to Hoodline's earlier reporting on the case. According to the Florida Department of Children and Families' 2025 Annual Performance report, 4.9 percent of investigations related to abuse, neglect, or abandonment led to a child being removed from the home in SFY 2024-2025.
Under Florida Statute § 827.03, the parents were charged with child neglect resulting in great bodily harm. Smith received a 45-month sentence. Somersall is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on October 1 under the same statutory charge.
