Name: Eli Ezekiel Riggan.
Died: November 25, 2023.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Pressure sores, sepsis, kidney failure.
Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy.
Details:
Emergency services were summoned to Eli’s home on a call for an unresponsive child, but they found him dead. An autopsy report showed that he had been neglected; the medical examiner found multiple pressure sores that had become septic, causing kidney failure and killing Eli.
Case Status:
Ariel Lea Horn (Mother), pleaded guilty to child abuse, sentenced to 7 years.
Charles Jackson McClellan Jr. (Mother’s boyfriend), pleaded guilty to child abuse, sentenced to 3 years.
Sources:
Man, woman sentenced in death of special needs boy in Tucson
Tucson mom, boyfriend arrested in death of disabled boy, 11
Police: Special needs boy dies from neglect in Tucson
Media Release: Child Abuse Homicide Arrest – 900 Block of E. Limberlost Dr.
Gofundme: 11 year old Eli Riggan’s Funeral Expenses