Florida Mother Charged with Murder of Adopted 4-Year-Old Son: What Led to His Killing? Sheriff Reveals Shocking Details

A Florida mother is in jail on multiple charges in the killing of her 4-year-old son, whom she adopted from Haiti in April 2023, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Patricia Saintizaire, 36, is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and interfering with a witness in Bryan Boyer’s death, Sheriff Grady Judd announced Wednesday.

“He’s dead because she beat him to death,” Judd stated. “It is beyond my wildest imagination how anyone could abuse a beautiful little fella like this child was abused and neglected.”

Saintizaire also has a 16-year-old son she adopted from Haiti, who is currently in protective custody. The sheriff’s office said it was told by staff at Orlando Health Hospital on Thursday, May 2, of a 4-year-old child who died “under what appeared to be suspicious circumstances” after a medical evaluation revealed an abdominal hemorrhage that could not be treated with emergency surgery. The boy’s body was sent to the District 9 Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy, which took place the next day. The autopsy determined that the infant died as a result of assault/blunt force trauma, and the manner of death was homicide.

“What we have learned during this investigation just turns our stomachs,” Judd stated.

The autopsy revealed that the tiny kid had both old and fresh scarring on his back, which occurred during his year with Saintizaire in the United States. He also suffered a severe laceration in his liver, which would have had an immediate impact and “caused a rapid decline” in his condition, according to the sheriff’s office.

Although he had no broken or fractured bones, the autopsy revealed bruises and hemorrhaging in his arms and legs. The medical examiner ultimately determined that his injuries were consistent with chronic abuse.

“We don’t believe we know all that this child suffered,” Judd stated. Polk County homicide police discovered that the boy was initially transported to Heart of Florida Hospital in Davenport, where the family lived, but then airlifted to Orlando Health due to his injuries. Saintizaire took him to the hospital at the request of her teenage son, who had already performed CPR on the child at home, according to the PCSO.

When investigators first met with the 16-year-old, he stated that he had not been abused and had never observed abuse. However, once he was placed in protective care, he claimed that his adoptive mother urged him to “say nothing so I don’t get in trouble.” He also said that Saintizaire threatened to kill him with a gun, according to the sheriff’s office.

The adolescent also told detectives that he and his brother were physically disciplined with a belt and a homemade striking device while living in Haiti before telling them what happened on May 1, the day before the 4-year-old was discovered dead.

When the youngster returned home from school that afternoon, he was “happy and behaving normally with no injuries,” according to his brother, which was supported by a study of bus and school cameras as well as interviews with individuals who interacted with him.

“Despite his abusive treatment, they said he was a happy child,” Judd stated. The adolescent stated that he moved to another room in the house for approximately two hours and did not see or hear what happened to his younger brother, but that he was “unable to walk on his own and struggled to sit up on his own” when Saintizaire instructed him to bring food to the child.

She allegedly informed the teenager that the boy was “faking it” and that they should just feed him before he became unresponsive, at which point he started administering CPR and urged they go to the hospital.

Saintizaire’s spouse, who was “clearly at work,” according to Judd, told officers he is not in charge of the children’s discipline. Saintizaire “repeatedly denied” using physical discipline to chastise any child, according to the sheriff’s office.

When investigators reviewed her phone, they discovered two videos from home surveillance cameras that showed Saintizaire allegedly beating the 4-year-old with an unknown instrument while he was lying face down on the floor, Judd said. Another video shows her allegedly throwing the youngster into a pool as his hands are tied behind his back.

“Our number one goal in this organization is to protect the children,” Judd stated, “and that’s why we go after child predators, that’s why we go after child pornographers, that’s why we go after child abusers and we certainly go after child murderers.”