An Ohio mother and her boyfriend are facing multiple felonies for allegedly starving their 7-year-old special needs son, who was discovered dead two years ago weighing only 19 pounds.
Joshua Mulvey, 28, the boyfriend, was arrested last week and charged with one count of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and one count of third-degree child endangerment in connection with Kristopher Snyder’s death in 2023, according to records.
Samantha Hardiman, 29, the boy’s mother, remains at large after being charged with two counts of murder, three counts of child endangerment, and one count of involuntary manslaughter.
According to a Toledo Police Department news release, officers responded to a report of a deceased child at 7:30 p.m. on June 2, 2023, at a home in the 1700 block of Freeman Street. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered “the special needs victim, Kristopher Snyder,” who had already died, and they immediately launched an investigation into his death.
Kristopher reportedly had cerebral palsy.
“The case appears to be a homicide due to neglect,” the department stated in its news release.
According to local CBS affiliate WTOL, the Lucas County Coroner’s Office conducted a subsequent autopsy, which revealed a revised cause of death. According to the report, the coroner’s office determined that the manner of death was homicide and the cause of death was “malnutrition and dehydration associated with cerebral palsy, with epilepsy being another significant condition.”
Mulvey appeared in court for his bond hearing on Wednesday afternoon. Lucas County Chief Criminal Prosecutor Jennifer Liptack-Wilson told Common Pleas Judge Joe McNamara that when authorities discovered the victim, Kristopher was “completely emaciated,” weighing only 19 pounds, significantly less than the average weight of a healthy 1-year-old boy, the Toledo Blade reported.
Mulvey had lived in the home with Kristopher and his mother for about two years, according to the prosecution, so he owed the child a “basic duty to make sure his basic nutritional needs were met.”
Mulvey formally pleaded not guilty to the charges via his court-appointed public defender, Dmitry Tatarko. The attorney also asked that his client be released from detention on the condition that he wear an ankle monitor.
“I don’t think I should be here in the first place, but that’s for another day,” Mulvey told the court, adding, “I will participate in this process. I need answers for myself.”
Tatarko’s request was ultimately denied, with McNamara setting Mulvey’s bond at $300,000. He is currently being held at the Lucas County Correctional Center and will appear in court for a pretrial hearing on September 10, according to records.
