A 25-year-old woman from Florida, identified as Cheyenne Star Fite, has been taken into custody in connection with the death of her 5-year-old stepson. The young boy tragically drowned in a makeshift ditch filled with waste. Court records indicate that Fite has been charged with a single count of aggravated manslaughter by child abuse.
On October 11, 2024, the Osceola Sheriff’s Office responded to a distress call about a drowning at a residence in Kissimmee. Upon their arrival, they discovered a 5-year-old boy who was unresponsive, unclothed, and covered in mud. The child was immediately rushed to HCA Florida Osceola East Emergency, where he was later pronounced dead due to drowning.
During her interaction with investigators, Fite stated that she was in charge of supervising the child and his two siblings, aged 3 and 5, at the time of the incident. She had allowed the children to play outside in the yard, which was filled with puddles from the recent rain brought by Hurricane Helene. Fite claimed that she was inside their trailer folding laundry when she heard her 5-year-old daughter scream that her brother was underwater. However, she initially dismissed her daughter’s cries and continued with her chores.
Fite also disclosed that a family friend had dug a large hole to drain water from the property earlier that day. The hole, approximately 15 feet by 10 feet and 7 feet deep, was situated next to a pigpen and filled with what appeared to be run-off water from the pig pen.
After a while, Fite noticed the absence of the 5-year-old boy and found him submerged in the manmade hole filled with dirty and muddy water. She pulled him out, stating that the boy did not know how to swim. She did not provide her phone number to the police, claiming her cellphone was in the hole. Unable to call 911, she yelled for help, and her mother came to assist.
The boy’s father, who was at work during the incident, held Fite responsible for supervising his son. He expressed his suspicions about Fite’s supervision and was furious that a hole was dug without his knowledge, which led to his son’s drowning.
Fite claimed that the hole was a few feet away from where she was folding clothes and that she could hear the children if she turned around. However, police stated that the distance from the hole to the trailer was about the length of a football field, and her view would have been obstructed, making proper supervision unlikely.
Upon examining the hole, police noted an odor consistent with fecal matter and urine. A green child-size boogie board was found in the middle of the drainage ditch near the area where the victim was recovered. One of the victim’s siblings told police that Fite had left her brother outside naked as a form of punishment because he had hurt a chicken earlier that day. The child also claimed that Fite was asleep in bed while her brother was drowning.
Court documents revealed that the cause of death was drowning, with the child’s lungs lined by brown and green mud. Fite is currently being held in the Osceola County Jail without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. The victim was identified as Riley Scot Hogeback, described in an online obituary as a sweet but mischievous boy with an unbreakable spirit.