FLORIDA — The mother of a boy who died in Monroe County last week from apparent abuse and starvation said she had no clue what her child's father was doing to him.
Investigators say 12-year-old Eduardo Posso likely died from starvation, but he had been chained up in shackles and a dog collar before he died. Investigators say the boy weighed nearly 40 pounds less than an average 12-year-old at the time of his death.
The child's father, Luis Posso, and his stepmother, Dayan Flores, are now charged with murder in connection with his death.
READ | Couple accused of torturing, starving 12-year-old charged with murder
"It never came to my head that they were going to chain him up like an animal or they were not going to feed him," Eduardo's biological mother, Aurea Esmerlda Garcia said.
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office in Florida has investigated the Posso family five times since March 2017.
The first incident was after Eduardo told his grandmother that a bruise on his face was from his stepmother after he failed to finish his homework, according to the sheriff's office report.
But when deputies arrived, Eduardo told them he was outside playing on a trampoline and tried to do a flip. According to a sheriff's office report, "He stated that he did not tuck his legs in when he did the flip. He stated that when he landed on the trampoline he hit his cheek on his knee."
During that visit, deputies said all children appeared to be well fed and healthy.
"We feel like we did everything we could based on the information we had," said Warren.
All of the cases with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office were closed as "unfounded."
"All of them had the same result, nothing could be substantiated. No sign of neglect or no sign of abuse," added Warren. "Each time he (Eduardo) denied he was being abuse. There was a reasonable explanation for everything."
The family lived in Myakka City, Florida, and investigators say they were in Monroe County because of their job — which was promoting a traveling circus.
Both Posso and Flores are being held without bond. Flores is also being held on an ICE detainer.
