MANASSAS, Va. (TCN) — A grandmother and two aunts are in custody after allegedly abusing and neglecting two children, one fatally.
According to the Prince William County Police Department, on the evening of Jan. 19, officers responded to The Regency Apartments in reference to an unconscious 4-year-old boy. First responders performed lifesaving measures on the child before transporting him to a local hospital, where he later died.
Investigators allege 53-year-old Rebecca Romero, 22-year-old Shanyah Dilda, and 18-year-old Kemmilyn Wade, who were the primary caretakers of the 4-year-old boy and his 5-year-old sister, subjected them to long-term abuse and neglect. The three defendants allegedly regularly wrapped the 4-year-old in plastic and packing tape. An autopsy showed he was severely malnourished and dehydrated.
According to charging documents reviewed by the Prince William Times, detectives found cellphone messages and pictures showing the severe abuse. One of the boy’s aunts reportedly took a picture of the child on Jan. 18, showing him in plastic wrap from his shoulders to his feet. In the photo, he had also allegedly been taped to a mattress covered in trash bags with a pillow covering his head.
The Prince William Times reports that Dilda was often “the primary caretaker” of the children, and Wade often stayed in the apartment while Romero worked.
Romero and Dilda allegedly texted each other about the boy being placed in a plastic bag in the bathtub. In a message obtained by police, Dilda reportedly expressed frustration because the 4-year-old child escaped the plastic bag and ate candy and a banana. Police said the two children were also “regularly deprived of food and water.”
Detectives obtained arrest warrants for Romero, Dilda, and Wade on Jan. 29. Romero, Dilda, and Wade all face charges of felony murder and felony child abuse and neglect. Romero and Dilda also have been charged with aggravated murder. They all remain held without bond.
The suspects have reportedly been the victims’ primary caretakers since August 2023.
The 5-year-old girl and two other children in the home, ages 12 and 14, were taken in to custody by Child Protective Services.