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Preventable death ... Hope Elizabeth Delozier died of meningitis after she caught an ear infection. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied
A COUPLE whose toddler died after they refused to treat her ear infection with antibiotics because of a distrust of modern medicine have been charged with manslaughter.
Ebed Delozier, 29, and Christine Delozier, 34, were living in a camper van in rural Pennsylvania when their 18-month-old daughter Hope Elizabeth got sick.
Mrs Delozier treated the ear infection with homoeopathic remedies and herbal therapy but when the child’s condition worsened Mr Delozier took her to the Towanda Memorial Hospital, in Towanda, for treatment, the Press and Sun-Bulletin reported.
Parents ... Ebed Delozier, left, and Christine Delozier have been charged with manslaughter. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied
By this point, however, the untreated infection had progressed to meningitis and the child later died in hospital.
A simple antibiotic to treat the ear infection would have saved the toddler’s life, according to Dr James A. Terzian, who performed an autopsy on the toddler.
Mrs Delozier told investigators she didn’t believe in vaccinations or other aspects of modern medicine. She said she had been led to this conclusion by her upbringing and her own research.
The parents also said they had been put off seeking medical help because of financial concerns.
They have both been charged with felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of children.