Florida Boy, 5, Drowns in Feces-Filled Pit After Stepmom Allegedly Left Him Outside Na*ked as Punishment

A stepmom who allegedly left a ‘naked’ five-year-old child outside her home before he later drowned in a hole filled with ‘fecal matter and urine’ has been charged with manslaughter.

Cheyenne Star Fite, 25, reportedly left Riley Scot Hogeback outside the property in Osceola County, Florida, as a ‘punishment’ for ‘hurting a chicken’ and then went to sleep. But the young boy tragically died after he was found in a man-made ditch filled with suspected animal waste.

Police from the Osceola Sheriff’s Office said they responded to an emergency call at about 5.30 pm on October 11 about the stricken boy, according to a probable cause affidavit seen by the Law & Crime website. And when they arrived, they found Riley “unresponsive, naked, and covered in mud”.

He was then rushed to a hospital but was declared dead less than an hour later due to drowning. Fite told investigators that she had been looking after Riley and his two siblings, aged three and five. She said she had let the kids ‘entertain themselves’ in the yard as the electricity in the home had gone out.

The area had been left dotted with puddles following Hurricane Helene. Fite said she had only turned her back for ‘five minutes’ before the tragedy unfolded. The affidavit seen by Law & Crime states: “Cheyenne [Fite] stated as the kids were playing, she turned her back for approximately 5 minutes to fold clothes inside the trailer.

All of a sudden, Cheyenne [Fite] hears her 5-year-old daughter yell, ‘[redacted] is under the water.’ Yet, Cheyenne [Fite] did not believe [her daughter] initially and continued her task.” Fite said she later pulled Riley out of the hole that had been created by a family friend during the day, near a pig pen. Police said the ditch appeared to be filled with runoff waste from the farm animals.

Their report stated there was “an odor emanating from the water consistent with fecal matter and urine”. But one of Riley’s siblings told police that Fite had left him “outside naked as a form of punishment because he was hurting a chicken early that day,” according to the affidavit. And the witness further confirmed in the documents that Fite was ‘asleep in bed’ while Riley was drowning.

Riley’s dad also informed police that he “had suspicions” that Fite was “not properly providing supervision of his son at the time,” according to Law & Crime. He said he had been at work when the tragedy unfolded. He also said he was “furious a hole was dug without his knowledge and that hole was where his son drowned.”

Fite was later charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child. An obituary posted to the Legacy website told how Riley was “the embodiment of kindness”. It reads: “Riley was a child of joy and laughter, filling the lives of all who knew him with boundless love and cherished memories.

Riley’s infectious smile and sparkling eyes were a testament to his gentle and loving nature. He was the embodiment of kindness and had a heart that was always ready to help others. His love for life was evident in his every action, from his enthusiastic climbs to his playful impersonations of Spiderman, his favorite superhero. Riley was a source of light and happiness, and his presence was a gift to his family and friends.”