Marietta, GA — A 2-year-old boy died after police say his father allegedly left him alone in their apartment for about six hours, despite the child showing signs of illness and distress.
Officers with the Cobb County Police Department responded shortly after 8:30 p.m. on September 3 to the Legacy at West Cobb Apartments in the 2600 block of Favor Road after receiving a report of an unconscious toddler.
When officers arrived, they found the young boy unresponsive. Paramedics rushed him to a hospital, but he later died.
An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the toddler’s death reportedly uncovered what police described as elements of negligence.
According to a warrant, the child had been experiencing a fever and mouth pain and had refused to eat. Despite those warning signs, his father, identified as 39-year-old Lolo Anilus, allegedly left him “unattended and unsupervised for approximately six hours.”
Police say child could not care for himself
The warrant details the level of care the toddler required while he was allegedly left alone.
Investigators said the boy was only 2 years old and could not feed himself or change his own diaper. He also was unable to seek or receive medical treatment on his own.
The warrant reportedly stated that the child was already displaying signs of distress before Anilus allegedly left the apartment.
The boy’s cause of death was not included in the warrant, leaving that detail unclear as the investigation continues.
Police said the circumstances raised serious concerns about the care the toddler received before emergency responders were called.
Anilus now faces serious criminal allegations connected to his son’s death.
Daughter allegedly contradicted father’s account
Investigators also questioned Anilus about what happened inside the apartment. According to the warrant, Anilus allegedly told authorities that he was home while his son was sleeping.
But investigators reportedly received a different account from the man’s young daughter during a forensic interview. The girl allegedly told investigators that her father had actually left the apartment.
Surveillance footage also reportedly supported the investigators’ account, showing Anilus leaving the residence. The warrant did not specify where Anilus went during the approximately six-hour period that police say the toddler was left alone.
That discrepancy between the father’s account and the evidence became part of the investigation.
Father faces murder and child cruelty charges
Anilus was subsequently arrested and booked into the Cobb County Jail, where authorities said he was being held without bond. He stands accused of second-degree murder, child cruelty and making false statements, according to police and the warrant.
The allegations against him center on the claim that he knowingly left a very young and reportedly sick child without supervision or necessary care.
The case is now moving through the court system, with Anilus’ next court date scheduled for September 23.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the warrant does not establish the toddler’s medical cause of death. Prosecutors will ultimately have to prove the allegations in court.
For now, the case has left a young child dead and raised serious questions about what happened during the hours he was allegedly left alone while suffering from symptoms that required attention.
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