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Alex Radita: Canadian Teen Weighed 37 Pounds At Death, Was Dead 36 Hours Before Parents Called For Help

By Aaron Homer
Published on: 07:59 PST, Jun 2, 2016

https://phoenix.playwire.com/en/publishers/1013074/videos/4942770

Alex Radita, a Canadian teen who weighed 37 pounds at the time of his death, had been dead for up to 36 hours before his parents called 911, CBC News is reporting.

The horrifying revelation comes as the first-degree murder trial for his parents, Rodica and Emil Radita, continues in a Calgary courtroom.

Alexandru “Alex” Radita was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 3-years-old and the family was living in Surrey, British Columbia, according to Global News, but his parents refused to accept that diagnosis and chose not to properly treat it.

Social workers repeatedly tried to get the young boy proper medical care, but the parents refused to cooperate. At one point, Alex was even removed from the care of his family and placed in foster care, although court records showed that he was later returned to his parents.

The family then moved to Calgary, Alberta, and seemingly left their history of neglect behind them. According to Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, British Columbia’s Representative for Children and Youth, it was that failure of the two provinces to share records that may have allowed Alex to remain in his parents’ care, a failure that ultimately led to his death.

“[Medical providers and social workers] lost contact with the family because they moved and the file was closed. This is where the system breaks down in Canada. These systems are reactive. They’re very seldom proactive and there’s no mandatory requirement that you do that follow up with another province.”

On the night of May 7, 2013, Alex Radita was found dead in his home by paramedics who had been called to the scene. There, they found the teen so emaciated that at least one first responder, paramedic Deborah Barumback, testified that he looked “mummified.”

“I actually remember walking in the room thinking, ‘What the hell is that?’ [Alex was] emaciated to the fact that he looked mummified.”

Shauna Mitchell, a registered nurse who is an investigator for the medical examiner’s office, further described Alex’ condition, via Metro News.

“He basically looked like a skeleton with skin. His skull was very, very bony. You could count every rib. You could see every rib. His arms were extremely skinny as were his legs. He had open and dried lesions all over his body.”

Constable Larry Pugliese testified that Alex’ father, Emil Radita, told first responders that he had first found the boy unresponsive around 8:00 p.m. However, Mitchell says that is not possible. She believes that Alex had been dead for up to 36 hours before his parents called for help.

The Radita’s then tried to pass off their son’s condition as his own choice.

“Emil had said that he told [Alex] that he needed to go to the hospital but he refused and said that he didn’t like to go to hospitals because he had a bad experience when he was 3-years-old.”

Rodica Radita claimed that her son had been sick “for about a month” with diarrhea and the flu. Because of a yeast infection in his throat, she said, he had to be fed baby food.

So, what were Alex Radita’s parents doing while their sick and starving son wasted away before them? According to Metro News, the family chose to pray rather than seek medical care. In fact, by some estimates he had been dead for at least two hours while the family prayed around him, rather than seeking help.

Emil and Radita have been charged with first-degree murder in Alex’ death. Their trial continues throughout this week.

[Image via Shutterstock/Lopolo]

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