A Freeport couple was indicted for allegedly physically abusing and depriving their three-year-old daughter of food and basic nutrients.
Beginning approximately October 2024, Hanchelove Decius, and Evenson Francois, over the course of several months, allegedly deprived their three-year-old daughter of food and physically abused her.
On June 8, 2025, while in the care of Decius, the victim’s mother, the victim was scalded with a burning hot liquid that left her with third-degree burns on her chest and lower body.
The victim was taken to Nassau University Medical Center and later Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was treated and evaluated by medical staff. Hospital staff discovered scarring lesions, lacerations, and bruises consistent with inflicted injuries throughout her body.
The child also had scarring on her forehead, nose, and face and an open laceration on her right eyebrow and chin. All the injuries were in various stages of healing and had gone untreated.
The child was also severely malnourished and visibly emaciated.
Francois, 28, was arrested on April 10, 2026, by the Nassau County Police Department’s Special Victims Squad. Decius, 27, was arrested on April 13, 2026, by SVS.
Decius and Francois were arraigned before Judge Joy Watson on a charge of Assault in the First Degree (a Class B violent felony). Decius and Francois pleaded not guilty and were remanded. They are due back in court on April 24, 2026. If convicted, they will face up to 25 years in prison.
“After suffering severe third-degree burns, medical professionals made several disturbing discoveries of alleged prolonged physical abuse when they examined the defendants’ three-year-old daughter,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “The scarring, bruising, and other injuries indicated that the child had been abused for months, and her emaciated appearance suggested she was also being denied basic nourishment to survive. Thankfully, with proper care, the young girl is quickly recovering from the horrors she allegedly endured at the hands of her parents, and my prosecutors will ensure that they are held responsible for every scar.”