What is the alkaline diet and why is it dangerous?

The alkaline diet is based on the disproven belief that altering body acidity can cure diseases. For infants and children, it can lead to severe malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies due to its restrictive nature.

What charges do the Arizona parents face?

Tremaure Stanley and Janiece Brooks face charges of first-degree murder and four counts of child abuse, with potential life sentences if convicted.

How did online misinformation influence the parents' actions?

The parents relied on online videos and posts that promoted extreme diets and warned against medical treatments, vaccines, and common medicines, contributing to their harmful parenting practices.

Home / Crime and Justice / Alkaline Diet Leads to Infant Death, Parents Charged

Alkaline Diet Leads to Infant Death, Parents Charged

8 Dec

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Summary

Parents charged with murder after infant died from malnutrition.
Three siblings suffered severe developmental delays and deficiencies.
Couple relied on online misinformation about diet and medicine.

Alkaline Diet Leads to Infant Death, Parents Charged

A central Phoenix couple faces severe charges, including first-degree murder, after their youngest child died and three other siblings suffered chronic malnutrition due to adherence to an extreme "alkaline diet." Police discovered the infant unresponsive in July 2023, prompting an investigation that revealed the surviving children exhibited rickets, osteopenia, and significant developmental delays.

The parents, Tremaure Stanley and Janiece Brooks, reportedly based their parenting and health decisions on online misinformation, including warnings against vaccines and common medications. Their adherence to a restrictive diet, primarily vegetables and fruits with little protein or fortified foods, is believed by medical experts to have caused the severe deficiencies. Court records indicate the couple viewed the children's weight loss as a sign of detoxification rather than a medical crisis.