WEST CHESTER — The parents of a severely emaciated Chester County teenager who authorities said suffered from near-fatal malnutrition at their hands have been ordered to stand trial on criminal charges related to the youth’s condition.
Court records show that the 16-year old weighed just under 75 pounds when he was seen at a West Goshen doctor’s office in April, apparently the only time in at least 10 years that the boy had been seen by a physician, even though his parents had medical insurance available for his care.
Mark Cox Sr. and his wife, Leticia Cox, were held for court after a lengthy preliminary hearing Wednesday before Magisterial District Judge Marc Lieberman of West Chester. Leticia Cox is charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, recklessly endangering another person and tampering with evidence. Mark Cox, the child’s father, is charged with endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person.
The Coxes, both 59 and residents of East Bradford, where the child also lived, have pleaded not guilty and are free on bail pending trial. The child, who was not identified by name in court records, is now living with other family members.
They were arrested in June after an investigation into the medical history of their son and the conditions in which he lived began in April, when state child abuse authorities were notified of his physical problems and investigators with the Chester County Detectives and West Chester police followed up with an extensive investigation.
In a press release, District Attorney Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe stated, “Unlike many people who struggle to provide for their children, these defendants had every resource available to them. Instead of seeking medical care, they ignored their legal and moral responsibilities and prolonged this child’s suffering until he was on the brink of death.”
West Chester Borough Police Department Police Chief Joshua Lee added, “The West Chester Police Department fully supports the investigation led by county Detectives and recognizes that protecting our most vulnerable, especially our children, is everybody’s duty and obligation.”
The case will now move to Common Pleas Court, where it has yet to be assigned to a judge.
In a statement on Thursday after the Cox’s preliminary hearing, their attorneys defended the couple.
“Our client’s son has been diagnosed with a complicated disease process which evaded his parent’s best efforts at treating it,” said defense attorneys Thomas Bellwoar of West Chester, who represents Mark Cox, and Christian Hoey of Tredyffrin, who represents Leticia Cox.
Mark Cox
They said he was now being treated for his underlying medial condition, one that had been missed by doctors at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, Del.
“The best efforts of Nemours specialists likewise failed to timely and correctly diagnose his underlying gastrointestinal disease which led to his emergency admission to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, engineered by his parents, which resulted in the correct diagnosis and implementation of a meaningful treatment plan,’ Bellwoar and Hoey said in an e-mail. “The child’s underlying disease process is in no way related to any alleged neglect whatsoever. We intend to vigorously defend Mark and Leticia Cox.”
According to the eight-page affidavit signed by Chester County Detective Bernard Martin and West Chester Detective Gregory Cugino, the case began on April 15 when the teenager was brought to Manos Family Medicine by his mother to “re-establish care” and seek treatment for weight loss and diarrhea
Care givers there noted that he weighed just 74.8 pounds, had sunken eyes, visible vertebra and ribs, was emaciated and had a “skeletal appearance.” He also had severe dental decay, and his skin was translucent and pale.
Leticia Cox told caregivers there that her son had only been seen at “minute clinics” sand emergency care facilities for paperwork related to his being homeschooled. The investigation determined that the Manos practice had been listed on insurance records as the child’s primary caregiver, he had never been seen at the doctor’s office prior to April 15, even though the practice had reached out to the family in 2020, 2021 and 2023 for a wellness visit. Even though Leticia Cox said she wanted to re-establish contact with the office, their records showed he had never been seen there, the investigators stated.
The child allegedly told personell at the doctor’s office that he ate two times a day with snacks, using Door Dash for food deliveries, mostly waffles and pancakes.
Caregivers at the practice made a report of the child’s condition to ChildLIne, the state reporting authority for child abuse allegations, and West Chester police and a caseworker from the county Department of Children, Youth and Family made a visit to the family home on West Miner Street — a house valued at $1 million, with four bedrooms on three acres.
The Coxes said that they had been instructed to follow up with additional care and treatment for the teen, but refused to allow the CYF caseworker to come inside the house.
On April 16, after being urged by law enforcement and child protective services to get the child immediate medical care, Mark Cox took the child to Chester County Hospital. The child was transferred and admitted to the Nemours Children’s Hospital, where doctors certified his condition as a near fatality.
Phone records revealed that both of the Coxes were aware, to varying degrees, of the deteriorating condition of the child victim, but they neglected to seek any legitimate medical care for the child. The boy and his mother discussed his bad stomach health in texts as early as 2023, two years before he went to the doctor in West Goshen.
When he said his father would not allow him to use a bathroom on a boat the family were on, he worried that he would soil himself in his pants. “I wish I didn’t have these problems,” he wrote. “Just throw away your clothes if you have an accident,” Leticia Cox responded, according to the affidavit.
Investigation further established that the child victim was homeschooled and had little to no in-person contact with adults outside the family. He also did not have his own room in the East Bradford house, and slept on a bed in his parents’ room, the mattress of which was found in a second bedroom. Although Mark Cox told police the boy had his own bedroom, another child said he only slept in the master bedroom.
“Evidence shows that, despite having knowledge of the child’s chronic gastrointestinal issues and serious dental issues, (the Coxes) did not take actions to care or treat the child medically until he suffered serious bodily injury and was at serious risk of death,” Martin wrote.
First Assistant District Attorney Erin O’Brien is the assigned prosecutor. As a reminder, if anyone have concerns about the safety of a child, they are urged to call 911 and Childline at 1-800-932-0313.
To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment