7-year-old boy who weighed just 14 pounds suffered 'severe intentional physical torture, psychological torture, and medical neglect': DA

An Illinois pistillate is headed to situation for decades for neglecting and torturing a 7-year-old lad who weighed conscionable 14 pounds erstwhile helium arrived astatine the infirmary suffering cardiac arrest.

Eulalia Vences, 55, was sentenced to 20 years successful situation aft she pleaded blameworthy to aggravated battery with large bodily harm, the Kane County State's Attorney's Office said. The probe began successful March 2024 erstwhile Vences and the boy's mother, 33-year-old Natali Cruz-Gemchi, brought their unresponsive kid to the exigency country astatine Saint Joseph Hospital successful Elgin, which is successful the Chicago area.

Doctors stabilized the lad but recovered him to beryllium woefully underweight astatine 14 pounds. His information was "consistent with terrible intentional carnal torture, intelligence torture and aesculapian neglect," prosecutors said.

Vences, the boy's live-in caregiver, and Cruz-Gemchi had been neglecting the lad for astatine slightest 3 years. They were charged with respective counts of aggravated battery, aggravated home artillery and child endangerment. Vences volition person recognition for the astir 600 days of clip served and volition beryllium incarcerated for astatine slightest 85% of her condemnation earlier she's up for parole.

The lawsuit against Cruz-Gemchi is ongoing. She has a tribunal proceeding scheduled for Jan. 21.

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"In my galore years arsenic a prosecutor, this is 1 of the astir disturbing cases I person encountered. For an big to neglect, torture, and starve a kid successful their care, with specified wanton disregard for the child's well-being, is some unforgivable and horrendous," Assistant State's Attorney Lori Schmidt said successful a statement. "As a effect of these actions, the child, who fortunately survived the abuse, volition look semipermanent aesculapian complications and lifelong psychiatric consequences. The suspect admitted her guilt and received a condemnation that holds her accountable for her actions. She tin present walk the adjacent 2 decades reflecting connected the harm she inflicted connected an guiltless child."