Skip to main content
Clear icon
47º

Leesburg parents arrested after 11-month-old dies of extreme malnutrition, police say

Doctor said infant had not eaten in 2-3 days

Mark Brittian, 26, and Margaret Lehman, 23, are facing manslaughter of a child charges. (Lake County Jail)

LEESBURG, Fla. – A Leesburg mother and father were arrested after their 11-month-old died on Thursday, according to court records.

Records show a doctor said the infant had not eaten in 2-3 days.

Recommended Videos



Mark Brittian, 26, and Margaret Lehman, 23, are facing manslaughter of a child charges.

[TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!) | Banana tree planted in Fla. pothole | Disturbance on path toward Fla.]

Police said officers responded to Pine Street in Leesburg around 3:30 a.m. on Thursday for a dispatch call of an infant not breathing.

Investigators said crews found the infant unresponsive and the 11-month-old was pronounced dead at the UF Health Leesburg Hospital.

ER physicians said the infant was extremely underweight and underdeveloped for her age.

Police said the family lived in deplorable conditions and there was a heavy odor of garbage and rotting food in the house. The infant’s crib was dirty, according to police.

Records show it looked like hoarders lived in the house.

During the investigation, police said Brittian tested positive for cocaine in his system.

A doctor with the medical examiner’s office told police it appears the infant had not eaten in two to three days and the cause of death was extreme malnutrition.