A 25-year-old Florida woman, Cheyenne Star Fite, has been arrested in relation to the death of her 5-year-old stepson. The boy reportedly drowned in a manmade ditch filled with waste. Fite was charged with one count of aggravated manslaughter by child abuse, according to court records.
The Osceola Sheriff’s Office responded to a drowning call at a Kissimmee residence on October 11, 2024. Upon arrival, they found a 5-year-old boy unresponsive, naked, and covered in mud. The child was rushed to HCA Florida Osceola East Emergency, where he was pronounced dead due to drowning.
Fite, during her interview with investigators, stated that she was supervising the child and his two siblings, ages 3 and 5, at the time. She allowed the children to play in the yard, which had several puddles due to rain from Hurricane Helene. Fite claimed she was inside the trailer folding clothes when she heard her 5-year-old daughter yell that her brother was under the water. However, she did not initially believe her daughter and continued with her task.
Fite also mentioned that a family friend had dug a large hole to drain water from the property earlier in the day. The hole, measuring about 15 feet by 10 feet and 7 feet deep, was located next to a pigpen and filled with what seemed to be run-off water from the pig pen.
After some time, 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.