HARTFORD — Hartford police have charged the mother of a severely autistic teen who was starved, abused and neglected with first-degree manslaughter, after the Office of Chief Medical Examiner had determined his death to be a homicide.
On February 14, at around 2:53 a.m., Hartford Public Safety Dispatch Center received a call from Katiria Tirado, 33, mother of the teen, demanding medical help for her son who was vomiting and had gallstones, police said.
Officers said paramedics arrived to the scene at 519 Park Street and transported Matthew Tirado, 17, to Hartford Hospital. Paramedics said Tirado was pronounced dead at 5:15 a.m. where his body was then taken to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner. Hartford Police said they were not notified of the incident at the time.
Police said it wasn’t until around 12:30 p.m. that they had received a call from the OCME regarding a severely autistic male teen who had signs of significant and suspicious body trauma and what appeared to be a severe case of malnutrition. Police said they then were dispatched to the OCME where they observed multiple cuts and bruises on Tirado’s face, torso and arms. Officers said the victim weighed approximately 88 pounds at his death.
Tirado was arrested on February 15 for one count of cruelty to persons for her role in her son’s death and was held on $250,000 bail.
An additional $750,000 was added to Tirado’s bail for the manslaughter charge on Friday.
Her next court date will be on August 15th
