Davenport mother accused of beating 4-year-old adopted son denied bond in first court appearance

BARTOW, Fla. - A Davenport mother accused of beating her adopted four-year-old son to death will remain in jail on no bond.

Patricia Saintizaire, 36, had her first appearance in court Thursday afternoon after being charged with first-degree murder.

According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Saintizaire adopted Bryan Boyer, 4, from Haiti about a year ago. Last week, Saintizaire's other adopted 16-year-old son found Boyer in his room, weak and lethargic. 

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During dinner, the boy began shaking. After vomiting three times, Saintizaire took him to a hospital in Haines City.  He was airlifted to Orlando Health where he died.  

The sheriff said an autopsy revealed Boyer had a torn liver consistent with a hard strike to the abdomen and had layers of bruises from past beatings. 

Jodie Domangue, a child advocate at One More Child in Lakeland, said children aren't likely to verbalize abuse, so there are nonverbal cues people can look out for.

"That might be a child who's very tired at school who has a lot of absences or frequent tardys," said Domangue. "Doesn't have their personal care taken care of. They're eating at school or showing up with marks or bruises at school." 

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She added people should always take their concerns to the top. 

"If you see anything that's concerning, whether you're a teacher or community member, you should never hesitate to report that," Domangue said. "Cause even a small sign can be something big happening in the home." 

One More Child offers intervention and prevention services from family support to get relief and nursing and effective parenting training. They also license foster homes, so if you want children to have a safe and loving home, that may be something you can help do.

Saintizaire will appear in court again next month. 

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