On May 7, 2013, police and paramedics responded to a home in Calgary, Alberta on a report of a teenager not breathing, but nothing could have prepared them for what they were about to see. 15-year-old Alex Radita, who was dead well before his father called 911, weighed only 37 pounds. He was literally nothing but skin and bones, and his body was covered with necrotizing ulcers, including one so deep it left his salivary gland exposed. After an autopsy revealed Alex’s death was caused by a septic infection secondary to extreme starvation and untreated diabetes, his parents -- Romanian immigrants who believed God, not medicine, would save their son -- were arrested and charged with first degree murder.

This is a story of a couple so hell bent on being right that they allowed their son to waste away for years rather than give him the medication and food he needed to survive. It’s the story of the exposure of massive weaknesses in the Canadian child welfare system. Most importantly, it’s the story of a bright, courageous boy who tried to smile even as he entered the final stages of starvation and the catastrophic infection that took his life.

This is the horrific story of Alex Radita.

Links discussed in this episode:

Crime Beat podcast episode, The Boy Who Fell Through the Cracks - https://globalnews.ca/news/6045854/crime-beat-podcast-boy-who-fell-through-cracks

Video of Alex on his 15th birthday, released without sound by order of the court (warning: may be disturbing to some viewers) - https://fb.watch/5jSoPm4QpB/

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This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.

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