The brother of a Reedsburg woman charged in the starvation death of her teenage son tells a newspaper his sister was manipulated by her husband.
Both 49-year-old Kehinde Omosebi and 48-year-old Titilayo Omosebi are charged with felony child neglect leading to death. Authorities say Kehinde Omosebi reported to police his 15-year-old son, Ayanfe, died during a more than month-long family religious fast.
From the Sauk County Jail, Titilayo Omosebi appeared briefly for court Monday. A judge agreed to a postponement of Omosebi’s initial appearance and bail-setting until Wednesday, when her attorney can be present. Her husband remains jailed on $5,000 bail.
The Nigerian-based newpaper New Telegraph reports Omosebi’s brother believes Kehinde Omosebi manipulated her and other family members.
“The husband must have maltreated my sister,” the newspaper quotes Akinsanya Sunday Olanrewaju from Facebook.
“He stopped her from (using) all social network we couldn’t reach her,” the newspaper quotes Omosebi’s brother.
Authorities say Titilayo Omosebi was emaciated when she was contacted in connection to her son’s death.
But Reedsburg Police Chief Tim Becker says Titilayo Omosebi was “a willing participant” in denying her son food.
Authorities say a surviving, emaciated 11-year-old left a letter for members of the criminal justice community asking for help, but it was only discovered at the family home after his older brother’s death. Police say the family’s Reedsburg duplex had padlocks capable of confining people inside the unit.
Between June 2013 and July 2016, Madison School District officials say Kehinde Omosebi worked as a custodian in the school system. A Madison East High School staff list includes him as an employee there. A District official has yet to comment on the reason for Omosebi’s separation from his job.
School District officials cite federal privacy law in declining to comment on whether Ayanfe Omosebi attended any Madison schools in the past.
Sauk County authorities say Kehinde Omosebi referenced previous fasting by family members, but noted the previous fasts were not as long. Court records say he told police the fasting was being carried out to receive God’s blessing for a planned move to Atlanta.
For more go to WKOW: https://wkow.com/news/2018/09/17/report-reedsburg-mother-charged-with-starving-son-manipulated/