Mom too busy to take 6-year-old to doctor despite 'serious medical complications' from brain surgery: Police

A 39-year-old parent successful Louisiana whose 6-year-old girl had encephalon country precocious past twelvemonth is accused of aesculapian neglect for allegedly refusing to bring her kid backmost to spot her doctors contempt "serious aesculapian complications" arising aft the procedure.

LaShonda Nikol Zenon was taken into custody Tuesday evening and charged with a spate of crimes, including possession of Schedule I narcotics, resisting an serviceman by flight, obstruction of tribunal orders, and possession of controlled unsafe substances successful the beingness of juveniles, authorities announced.

According to a news release from the Shreveport Police Department, the probe into Zenon began erstwhile a caseworker with the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) reported concerns astir a 6-year-old kid believed to beryllium the unfortunate of aesculapian neglect.

The interest originated with doctors astatine St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Affiliate Clinic astatine Feist-Weiller aft the kid underwent encephalon country for a craniopharyngioma, which is simply a encephalon mass, successful October 2025.

After surgery, the kid reportedly developed respective "serious aesculapian complications" — including hypopituitarism, diabetes insipidus, and adrenal insufficiency — conditions that necessitate cautious and accordant aesculapian follow-up.

Doctors told authorities that since the surgery, 7 aesculapian appointments had been missed and six others had been canceled. The aesculapian unit said its repeated attempts to interaction Zenon were unsuccessful.

DCFS opened a medical-neglect probe connected Jan. 14 and aboriginal obtained a custody bid for the kid connected Feb. 26, constabulary said.

Detectives with the Shreveport Police Department made respective attempts to find the kid astatine the family's residence successful the 9000 artifact of Royalton Drive but were unsuccessful.

On March 10, aft a justice signed a tribunal bid allowing officers to participate the residence if necessary, constabulary conducted surveillance astatine the home. Around 5:30 p.m., officers spotted Zenon extracurricular placing items into a conveyance earlier returning wrong the house.

"When officers moved successful to marque contact, Zenon ran backmost wrong and refused to reply the door," constabulary wrote successful the release. "Officers positioned astir the residence past observed her fly retired the backmost of the location with the children by climbing implicit a six-foot privateness fence. After a little ft pursuit, Zenon was taken into custody."

The children were safely recovered and turned implicit to DCFS workers astatine the scene. Police said the children were "crying, sweating, and visibly shaken," with insignificant scrapes from climbing the fence.

Zenon aboriginal told investigators she had a "feeling" constabulary were successful the country aft receiving a telephone telephone from an chartless idiosyncratic and spotting officers down the thoroughfare earlier attempting to fly with the children, according to a study from section CBS affiliate KSLA.

She allegedly acknowledged that the kid had missed follow-up aesculapian appointments aft the encephalon surgery, telling investigators she had been engaged and did not person clip to instrumentality the child, the presumption reported.

Zenon was booked into the Caddo Parish Jail, wherever she is being held connected $10,000 bond. It was not instantly wide erstwhile she was scheduled to look successful court.