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Police: Florida woman charged in 5-year-old stepson's drowning in man-made ditch

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Published  December 18, 2024 11:56am EST
Osceola County
FOX 35 Orlando

The Brief

    • An Osceola County woman is being charged in her stepchild's death after the 5-year-old drowned in a man-made ditch, police say.
    • According to police records, Cheyenne Star Fite, 25, was responsible for watching the child, as well as his two siblings, as they played in their home's yard.
    • Police say Fite is being charged with Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child. She currently is being held with no bond.

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - Police say an Osceola County woman is being charged in her 5-year-old stepson's death after the child died in a man-made ditch in October. 

Police reported they responded to the drowning around 5:30 p.m. at 5817 N. Kenansville Road in Kissimmee. 

Deputies say they located the 5-year-old unresponsive, naked and covered in mud.

The child was transported to HCA Florida Osceola East Emergency, where he was pronounced dead due to drowning, officials state.

According to police records, Cheyenne Star Fite, 25, was responsible for watching the child, as well as his two siblings, as they played in their home's yard.

Fite described to police that the yard had several deep puddles due to the recent storms, and the children were playing in the mud. 

Fite also told police a family friend came to the home and dug a deep hole to help drain the water the same day. 

Osceola County stepmother Cheyenne Star Fite, 25, is facing charges after her husband's 5-year-old son drowned in a man-made ditch. (Credit: Osceola County Sheriffs Office)

Officials say Fite turned her back on the children to fold clothes inside the trailer when she heard one of the other children calling for help. 

Fite did not believe the child at first and continued folding the laundry, police say.

The police report states that Fite then looked for the child after some time passed, which is when she realized he was inside the man-made hole underneath the muddy water.

Officials say Fite then pulled the child out but did not call 911. Instead, she called her mother for help, who also lives in a trailer on the property.

Fite told police the child did not know how to swim.

Eventually, police say Fite and her mother called 911 to report the drowning. 

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Police report they spoke with the child's father, David Hogeback, who said he was working at the time of the incident, and Fite was responsible for watching the children. 

Police say Hogeback had suspicions Fite was not properly watching the children. 

Although Fite originally told investigators she was a few feet away when the incident occurred, the report states the trailer was about a football field away from the hole.

The officials report also says one of the other children told investigators the 5-year-old boy was naked as a form of punishment for "hurting a chicken earlier that day." The child also said Fite was inside sleeping when the drowning occurred.

However, Fite told police the child was naked because she was doing his laundry.

Police say Fite is being charged with Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child. She currently is being held with no bond.

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The Source: The information in this article comes from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office and was shared with FOX 35 News.

Osceola CountyCrime and Public SafetyKissimmee