Lindenhurst parents accused of denying medical care to two children

Suffolk prosecutors said a Lindenhurst couple denied medical care to two children for at least four years, leaving one child in need of a heart transplant and another found critically ill and severely anemic. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, led by Ray Tierney, said the children were 9 and 4 and were found in critical condition and deprived of medical care.

The allegations describe a prolonged pattern, not a one-time lapse. Greater Long Island and Daily Voice reported that the children had not received medical care for at least four years, while Newsday and Greater Long Island said both children were severely malnourished. Greater Long Island also reported that two of the couple’s four children were found to be severely malnourished.

Prosecutors have also alleged the children were fed a diet made primarily of cow’s milk mixed with strawberry syrup. Greater Long Island and News 12 Long Island reported that claim, and later coverage said the children allegedly suffered health problems tied to that diet. Patch reported that one child was found critically ill and severely anemic, while the other needed a heart transplant, a combination that suggests years of untreated medical need.

For Suffolk families, the warning signs of medical neglect are often concrete: a child who looks visibly wasted or starving, repeated missed medical appointments, conditions that have gone untreated for months or years, or a child whose health has deteriorated to the point that emergency treatment is needed. When those signs show up alongside a household that is not getting a child to doctors, schools, pediatricians and neighbors are often among the first people in a position to notice.

Anyone in Suffolk County who suspects child abuse or neglect can call the New York State Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-342-3720. The report is then assigned to Suffolk County Child Protective Services.

The Lindenhurst case lands against a backdrop of other child-safety complaints in the hamlet. News 12 Long Island reported on March 6, 2026, that parents at Tutor Time in Lindenhurst had come forward with complaints of injuries to their children in a separate daycare case, keeping child-protection enforcement in local focus.