Florida mom's teen son weighed 33 pounds when he died; mom gets decades in prison

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - A Volusia County woman was sentenced on Monday to 32 years in prison in the death of her malnourished 14-year-old son.

Talia Nelson, 45, of Daytona Beach, pleaded no contest to charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse, according to a news release from the 7th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office. 

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Talia Nelson

Nelson’s son died on Jan. 1, 2024, according to authorities. 

The teen was severely malnourished, dehydrated and weighed just 33 pounds, the release said. He had fresh bruises on his face and scars on his body, according to the State Attorney’s Office. 

According to authorities, Nelson "physically abused, and ultimately murdered" her son. 

Nelson initially told investigators that her son suffered from a rare bone disease, lactose intolerance and bulimia. However, investigators determined that Nelson hadn’t taken her son to a doctor since June 2020. 

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The backstory:

On Jan. 1, 2024, Daytona Beach police responded to a residence on Carolina Lake Drive. They found a neglected 14-year-old boy. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

An autopsy determined that the teen’s cause of death was homicide. 

Nelson was arrested and booked into jail on Feb. 9, 2024. 

What they're saying:

"It is incomprehensible for a mother to neglect and torture her own flesh and blood to the extent we uncovered in this case," State Attorney R.J. Larizza said in a release Monday. "How could she watch her son suffer for weeks and months and years until he weighed less than a typical 7-year-old? Heartless and cruel are words that come to mind."