A Florida stepmother is scheduled to appear in court this week on charges stemming from the discovery of an unresponsive little boy covered in mud and unclothed.
On October 11, 2024, the Sheriff’s Office in Osceola County, Florida, responded to a drowning distress call and transported the child to HCA Florida Osceola East Emergency immediately.
When police investigated the drowning site, they discovered an odor similar to feces and urine. A green boogie board floated in the middle of the drainage ditch near where the victim was discovered.
Cheyenne Star Fite, 25, was arrested in connection with the death of her five-year-old stepson. The investigation uncovered troubling inconsistencies.
Fite told officers that three children, including a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old, were playing outside in her vision while she folded laundry. The little girl screamed, “My brother is underwater!” Fite stated that she initially dismissed the screams and continued with her chores.
Hurricane Helene’s rains had created puddles on the Kissimmee property. Earlier in the day, a family friend dug a large hole to drain the water using a makeshift drain.
The boy’s father was at work at the time and was unaware of the hole being dug on his property. It was approximately 15 feet by 10 feet and almost 7 feet deep. The man-made hole was adjacent to a pigpen.
Fite eventually discovered her stepson submerged in muddy water contaminated by pigpen waste runoff. She admitted that he didn’t know how to swim.
Fite claimed that she was only a few feet away from the children while folding laundry, which was a major inconsistency. Authorities said the distance was the length of a football field, and her line of sight was easily obstructed.
Furthermore, one of the siblings claimed that Fite was asleep at the time of the drowning. Police discovered the boy unclothed after Fite forced him to play outside naked as punishment. Apparently, the 5-year-old injured a chicken earlier in the day.
According to court documents, the death was caused by drowning. The lungs of Riley Scot Hogeback were found to be lined with brown and green mud.
Cheyenne Star Fite is currently being held in the Osceola County Jail without bond on a single charge of aggravated manslaughter by child abuse.
Report Child Abuse
If you suspect that a child or children are being neglected, abused, or harmed in any way, call or submit an online report.
The Florida Department of Children and Families Abuse Hotline operates 24 hours a day. Please report any known or suspected child abuse, neglect, or abandonment.
Call 1-800-962-2873 or your local authorities. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
