Following District Attorney Kevin R. Steele’s announcement yesterday regarding two arrests and one arrest warrant issued for the death of 21-year-old Tylim Hatchett in September, CBS News reported that the wheelchair-bound resident of Dresher died due to complications of cerebral palsy and starvation.
“He’s blind, he’s deaf, he can only be in a wheelchair,” Steele said during a press conference. “He needs medication that is not being provided for him. There was no feeding. There was no water. He starved to death in this apartment and was lying on the floor when the police came. This is a horrible death.”
“It’s horrendous how parents, parents did that with the kid,” said Aida Sokhieva, a resident. “I have no words. None of the kids deserve that, none of the humans deserve that.”
Aveanna Healthcare listed several medications he was meant to take daily, officials said. A representative of Aveanna Healthcare said in a statement to NBC10 that the company has safeguards in place in an effort to prevent the kind of abuse that police allege occurred in this case.
“Aveanna has well-established policies in place to ensure that authorized care is provided, with a robust compliance program that satisfies the prescribed oversight as defined by state regulators. We use technology and other means to validate the delivery of that care, and our supervisory measures meet the requirements defined by state regulators,” Aveanna’s statement said. “The Company has and continues to cooperate with all investigations into this matter.”
NBC10’s video coverage is below:
His mother, Sherrilynn Hawkins, 42, of Dresher, his caretaker, Loretta Harris, 45, of Philadelphia, and his father, Vernon Hatchett, 39, of Glenside are all charged with neglect of a care-dependent person. Hawkins faces the most serious charges of first-degree and third-degree murder; Hatchett is also charged with involuntary manslaughter and Harris faces a charge of theft by deception.
Hatchett has not been apprehended at the time of this writing.
“We were not able to arrest him [Monday],” Steele said. “He’s wanted. He knows he’s wanted. And based on his past, he is considered a dangerous individual.”
His wanted poster is below:
For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.
Screengrab: NBC10