Home nurse allegedly withheld food from child who went into liver failure

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (TCN) — Authorities recently arrested a 62-year-old nurse on suspicion of neglecting and starving a child patient with several medical issues.

According to the Cape Coral Police Department, on Sept. 15, 2024, officers responded to a home after a mother allegedly caught a home nurse, Kelly Perrigo, withholding food from her child. The mother reportedly said her child requires 24/7 medical care due to multiple medical conditions, and they have home health care nurses who work in 12-hour shifts.

On the morning of Sept. 14, 2024, the victim’s mom allegedly spoke to Perrigo, who worked as the night nurse. Perrigo reportedly said the child “had low blood sugar and drank all of their nighttime bottles.” However, according to police, the mother reviewed surveillance footage from the victim’s room after Perrigo left and noticed that throughout the night, Perrigo “would heat the child’s bottle and attempt to feed the child for about two to five minutes, then put the child in the crib and leave the room with the full bottle.”

The reporting party reportedly saw Perrigo on surveillance put an empty bottle in the sink but believes Perrigo emptied it in the bathroom sink before walking to the kitchen. The mother alleges Perrigo hasn’t fed her child any bottles since Aug. 17.

Perrigo purportedly began caring for the victim in February 2024. Since then, the reporting party told police her child has “had issues with gaining weight, lack of energy, and has fallen into liver failure.” If her child doesn’t drink bottles, the nurses are told to feed the victim through a GI tube, but the mother never saw Perrigo do so on surveillance video. Police noted that Perrigo is a licensed practical nurse.

Investigators obtained and reviewed the surveillance footage, which substantiated the mother’s statement.

On Feb. 5, Perrigo went to the Cape Coral Police Department and was arrested on a charge of felony child neglect. Lee County Jail records show she was booked into their facility and later released on Feb. 6. Perrigo is scheduled to appear in court on March 10.

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