We’ve heard of people doing some wacky things in the name of veganism over the years (looking at you, PETA), but never before have we come across a story so absurd and cruel as this one.
A vegan couple from Florida was recently charged with neglect for nearly starving their 5-month-old baby to death.
According to WFTV, Julia French (20) and Robert Buskey (31) were feeding the baby a potato-based mash instead of breast milk or formula. When authorities intervened, the baby weighed only 8 pounds, 8 ounces; he weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces at birth. Additionally, the baby was described to have had sunken eyes, visible ribs, and had difficulty maintaining his temperature and blood sugar due to malnourishment.
The parents are now in custody at the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, while the baby is now under the care of DCF.
Since getting proper fluids and nourishment, the baby has started gaining weight.
According to the family’s physician, the couple originally had the baby on an organic formula that seemed to have been helping him gain weight and was doing well for his overall nutrition, but for some reason they decided to go rogue and start feeding him the potato-mash. Police say that the child may experience severe long-term health effects because of the malnourishment he experienced in his first 5 months. Detective Lauren Watson said, “I’ve never seen a child to this level, this close to possible death.”
Let this be a lesson for any new parent out there: your baby’s health during it’s infancy is essential to their development. Don’t mess it up by feeding it potatoes instead milk or formula.