Florida – In a disturbing case of neglect in Florida, a 24-year-old father, identified as L. Somersall, and a 23-year-old mother, identified as M. Smith, have been arrested after their 5-month-old twins were found severely malnourished, each weighing only 5.7 pounds—barely more than they weighed at birth. The infants, a boy and a girl, were rushed to the hospital after one of them was found unresponsive, prompting a medical emergency that uncovered the full extent of their condition.
The parents are now facing two counts each of child neglect with great bodily harm, a felony charge that carries serious legal consequences. Both are being held at the correctional facility on $100,000 bond as they await their March 3 court appearance.
The case began on January 6, when Smith and Somersall brought the unresponsive infant boy to a hospital, performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the way. Once at the hospital, medical staff were shocked at what they saw. According to police and medical records, both babies were so malnourished and dehydrated that every bone in their bodies was visible, their stomachs sunken in, and they weighed far below the expected weight for their age. In fact, the baby boy weighed even less than he had at discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) months earlier. The girl had gained only slightly. Doctors told detectives the children were frail, had low blood sugar, and were in critical condition.
Hospital staff immediately notified Child Protective Services, which triggered an investigation by the sheriff’s office. Officers soon arrived at the hospital to begin interviews and collect information. According to the arrest affidavit, Smith told police she had been feeding the twins about 40 milliliters of formula every two hours and later increased the amount to 70–80 milliliters—but she admitted that this advice came from a pediatrician visit back in September, when the babies were still newborns. Since then, they have not returned for any medical checkups. Both parents claimed they didn’t know they needed to increase feeding amounts as the babies grew, and they reportedly believed the babies were just thin because Somersall was naturally thin himself.
Investigators also searched the family’s RV, where the couple had been living with the twins. They found no baby formula, nor did they find any empty containers that would suggest recent or consistent feedings. This added to the growing list of evidence indicating neglect and failure to provide proper care. The couple was accused of failing to provide supervision, nutrition, and essential care, which endangered the infants’ physical and mental well-being.
Police confirmed that both children are now receiving medical treatment in the hospital and are expected to survive, though doctors are still evaluating whether the twins may have suffered neurological damage due to prolonged malnutrition and dehydration. Since their hospitalization, both babies have gained weight, a hopeful sign that with proper care and nutrition, they may begin to recover. However, the road ahead remains uncertain, especially as specialists continue to assess the long-term impacts on their development.
Somersall and Smith now face serious felony charges that reflect the severity of their alleged neglect. While both claimed ignorance about proper feeding practices, law enforcement and medical experts have made it clear that their inaction and failure to seek regular pediatric care nearly cost their children their lives. The case has prompted renewed calls for better education for new parents and stronger follow-up systems for at-risk infants, especially those born prematurely or discharged from NICUs. As the twins remain in recovery, their story stands as a chilling reminder of how neglect—whether intentional or through ignorance—can have life-threatening consequences and how close these two infants came to dying simply because no one fed them enough.
