The news broke recently about this West Chester couple who have been charged with abusing their own flesh and blood to the point that I’m sure this kid has a long road ahead of him to even be healthy, physically, and may never be healthy mentally because of what he has endured, correct? The parents’ names are Leticia and Mark Cox and they are from West Chester.
It reminded me of Malinda Hoagland’a case. Only it didn’t take as long for authorities to act and the 16 year old is still alive.
At 16 years of age boys are what? Looking to get their driver’s licenses? Maybe going to a school formal? Dating? Hanging with friends? Playing sports? Playing video games? What did this boy have?
Media reports and an obituary indicate that there are older siblings? People on Facebook said the husband coached little league? If the parents are 59 and this kid is 16, the mother was 43 when she had him? That means the siblings are slightly older? How did they not know what was happening or that it was so wrong? How did everyone turn their heads on this if true?
I also have questions about the common denominator to another tragedy also in Chester County. The Malinda Hoagland case.
Why? Slow Child Line action and homeschooling, perhaps? Is homeschooling now the ideal way to hide abuse in not only Chester County but Pennsylvania?
Ok so we have another system failure in my opinion in Chester County. Chester County officials are busy hiring executive types (COO, CEO, CFO etc) so where are the actual people who do the work?
I would never ever know how overwhelmed county level children and youth departments can be if I had not known someone once upon a time who was a children and youth social worker in Montgomery County. She lasted a decade before she couldn’t take it anymore. And I will never forget her stories of what her days were like. She reveled in the small victories she would get on behalf of kids who were her cases, be torn in half by most of it. The brutal realities of child abuse and an often cumbersome system and that? That was the late 80s and early 90s and judging from all of the media reports year after year, it hasn’t improved in Pennsylvania, let alone Southeastern PA.
NEWS RELEASE: JUDGE UPHOLDS ALLEGATIONS AGAINST WEST CHESTER COUPLE CHARGED WITH FAILING TO PROVIDE MEDICAL CARE TO A CHILD VICTIM
The Chester County District Attorney’s Office, the West Chester Borough Police Department, and the Chester County Detectives jointly announce the arrest of Leticia Cox, 59, and Mark Cox Sr., 59, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, for neglecting to provide basic care to a child.
Letitia Cox, the child’s mother, is charged with Aggravated Assault, Endangering the Welfare of Children, Recklessly Endangering Another Person and Tampering with Evidence. Mark Cox, the child’s father, is charged with Endangering the Welfare of Children and Recklessly Endangering Another Person. After a multi-hour preliminary hearing earlier today, Judge Lieberman bound all charges for both defendants over to the Court of Common Pleas. This means that the case will proceed forward and will later be assigned to a Chester County Court of Common Pleas Judge in the near future.
The criminal complaints (the Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty) filed by law enforcement indicate that on April 15, 2025, a ChildLine report was made indicating that a child was severely underweight, malnourished, and had severe dental decay. The 16-year-old male victim was brought into a local healthcare office on April 15, 2025, for a routine physical and noted to be visibly emaciated and dehydrated. He was 5’4” tall, weighed approximately 74.8 pounds, noted to have sunken eyes and was nervous and reluctant. Defendant Leticia Cox brought the child to the appointment and informed the staff that she wanted to reestablish medical care for the child.
On April 16, 2025, after being urged by law enforcement and child protective services to get the child immediate medical care, Mark Cox, Sr. took the child to Chester County Hospital. The child was transferred and admitted to the Nemours Children’s Hospital, where doctors certified his condition as a near fatality.
Though the investigation revealed that the child was covered by medical insurance, investigators have not found any evidence indicating that the child victim was ever seen by a doctor or dentist prior to the visit on April 15, 2025. Phone records revealed that both Defendants were aware, to varying degrees, of the deteriorating condition of the child victim, but they neglected to seek any legitimate medical care for the child. Investigation further established that the child victim was homeschooled and had little to no in-person contact with adults outside the family.
Chester County District Attorney Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe stated, “Unlike many people who struggle to provide for their children, these Defendants had every resource available to them. Instead of seeking medical care, ignored their legal and moral responsibilities and prolonged this child’s suffering until he was on the brink of death.”
West Chester Borough Police Department Police Chief Joshua Lee stated, “The West Chester Police Department fully supports the investigation led by County Detectives and recognizes that protecting our most vulnerable, especially our children, is everybody’s duty and obligation.”
The Chester County Detectives led the investigation and received assistance from the West Chester Borough Police Department. First Assistant District Attorney Erin O’Brien is the assigned prosecutor. As a reminder, if you have concerns about the safety of a child, say something. Call 911 and call Childline at 1-800-932-0313.
Click on the dockets above, read what the Chester County District Attorney said. How did no one else notice or seem to care, even in the case of their OTHER children who may or may not be mostly legally adults?
The family is not some poor backwoods family if you check out the real estate records alone are they?
And it all goes back to homeschooling in part being the perfect way to hide in plain sight doesn’t it?
Where are the checks and balances?
I think that homeschool kids and their parents should be subject to on-site visits don’t you? Physical brick and mortar schools and academic institutions have standards or all sorts, so how do people really know it’s all ok with homeschooling?
I am NOT saying homeschooling shouldn’t be allowed. Not in the least, but I am saying the system needs serious help. At the state level and county level, no excuses, no political BS.
Do we really want to live in a world where child abusers hide in homeschooling?
