Video Shows Mom Accused of Killing Adopted Son, 4, Throw Boy Into Pool with Hands Tied Behind Back: Sheriff

The woman reportedly said the victim -- who was unable to walk and struggled to sit up -- was "faking it" shortly before becoming unresponsive; videos later found on the mom's phone showed alleged abuse.

Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of child abuse.

A woman from Davenport, Florida has been accused of beating her adopted 4-year-old son to death -- after videos on her cell phone showed some of the alleged abuse.

36-year-old Patricia Saintizaire was arrested and charged with first degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and tampering with a witness in the death of her son Bryan Boyer, who she adopted and brought to the United States in April 2023.

The victim was "born in Haiti to a mother who didn't want him," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a press conference Wednesday. In addition to the victim, the suspect is mom to a 16-year-old boy she also adopted from Haiti.

"What we've learned during this investigation just turns our stomach," said Judd, before laying out the details of the case.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office responded to an Orlando hospital after being alerted that a child died there "under what appeared to be suspicious circumstances."

The subsequent investigation revealed the boy returned home from school on May 1 "happy and behaving normally, with no injuries," said authorities, citing school bus cameras and interviews.

"When the victim got home from school, the older brother went to another room for approximately two hours, and did not see or hear what happened to the victim. Patricia then told the brother to bring food to the victim," reads a press release. "At that time, he noted that the victim was unable to walk on his own, and struggled to sit up on his own. Patricia told the older brother that the victim was 'faking it' and to feed him. The victim then became unresponsive. The older brother began performing CPR on the child and then told Patricia they needed to take him to the hospital."

Per the sheriff, after taking the boy to Heart of Florida hospital in Davenport, he was flown to Orlando Health due to his "significant injuries," where he then died. The child's cause of death was ruled assault/blunt force trauma, while the manner of death was deemed a homicide.

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The autopsy alleged showed the victim had old and fresh scarring on his back, a deep liver laceration from blunt force trauma and bruising to his arms and legs, which the medical examiner said were "consistent with ongoing abuse."

"He's dead, he's dead because she beat him to death," said Judd in a presser, adding that "nothing else other than an immediate hard strike to the abdomen" could have caused a tear in the child's spleen.

During interviews with police, the suspect allegedly "denied to detectives that she ever used physical discipline as punishment," while the woman's husband -- who wasn't home at the time of the incident -- said his wife was responsible for discipline. The boy's teen brother initially denied being abused, though Judd said he was "was coached to lie to us when we first talked to him."

Per authorities, the teen later told detectives that Patricia told him "when they ask you something, say nothing so I don't get in trouble," and that she threatened to kill him with a gun. He also said that while living together in Haiti, they would both be "physically disciplined by receiving multiple strikes with a belt and a homemade hitting device."

According to an arrest affidavit, via WTSP , the teen also initially claimed he dropped the boy while carrying him to the car to go to the hospital -- but later said his mother wanted him to lie so they'd have an excuse for the bruises on the child's body.

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A search of Patricia's phone then turned up video footage of the alleged abuse.

The video, from home surveillance cameras, "show Patricia actively hitting the child with an unknown object while the child is laying on a floor, unresponsive," as well as "Patricia throwing the child into a pool while both of his hands are tied behind his back."

The videos can be seen at the end of the press conference above.

On Facebook, the Sheriff's Office claimed the suspect "clearly had no idea" the videos were even on her phone. Of the beating video, Judd added, "He's not even resisting it, it's just like it's a normal occurrence."

"The positive, if you search for a positive, is that he's in the arms of God right now and he's no longer being beaten, he's no longer being punched, he's no longer being tied up and thrown in the swimming pool," Judd said during the presser.

The teen has been placed in protective custody. Per online records, Saintizaire will be arraigned on June 11.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse or violence, get help. The National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in need.