Police: 6-Year-Old Died Of Malnutrition, Abuse; Parents In Custody
By Elizabeth Hur
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A smiling little boy is gone and police say he was murdered by his own parents.
Khalil Wimes was just six-years-old who, according to sources, was abused, beaten and starved inside his home in the 1800 block of South 22nd Street in Philadelphia's Point Breeze neighborhood. When he died, we're told he weighed at most 27 pounds.
"It's sad because I never saw him. You had your son cooped up in a house? That's a shame," neighbor Sherelle Carter said.
Neighbors were shocked to not only learn of his tragic death, but also because they never knew Khalil even lived next door.
"I never saw the kid come out since I've been around here," neighbor Shaquiale Spritley said.
Police arrested and charged Khalil's parents -- 49-year-old Floyd Wimes and 44-year-old Tina Wimes -- with first degree murder and related offenses.
According to sources, on Monday night, the Wimes took Khalil to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia claiming he fell coming out of a tub that he seemed OK at first but later passed out.
"I believe his parents took him to CHOP at around 10:45 p.m. By 11:16 p.m., he was pronounced dead. After that, he was taken to the medical examiner's office, they ruled it a death by blunt force trauma to the head," Capt. James Clark said.
Source say Khalil had various old injuries including significant scarring, bruising and cuts all over his body. We also learned he was under foster care for some time, but was returned to his parents two years ago.
Neighbors are baffled.
"They didn't look like the type that would do nothing like that, it's still sad," Carter said.
Sources say the Wimes had eight children but at the time of their arrest, only two lived with them – the victim and his three-year-old sister.
The three-year-old girl is now with relatives.
The Department of Human Services declined to comment because of privacy issues, but according to sources, DHS did not have an "open case" with the victim or his three-year-old sister, but the welfare agency will now work with the police on this ongoing investigation.
