Local News

Mother blames doctor and care center for son's death

Posted: 05/21/09 at 10:38 am EDT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Martha Quesada can't hold back tears when talking about her oldest child, a smiling 12-year-old Denis Maltez, who died two years ago this week.

Quesada is now filing a lawsuit against those she and her attorneys hold responsible for her son's death. "Denis, he was autistic. He was 12 years old when he passed away," said Quesada.

The lawsuit names a local care center and doctor who cared for the autistic boy. Attorney Howard Talenfeld said they provided Denis with a lethal dose of prescription medication that eventually killed him. "Tragically, Denis died as a result of serotonin syndrome, which he was administered by various doctors," Talenfeld explained. "This was a mixture of four drugs, a highly toxic cocktail, that Denis was taking on a regular basis, prescribed to him without consent by his mother," said Talenfeld.

The lawsuit comes a month after the death of 7-year-old Gabriel Myers, a foster child who was found hanging at his Margate home.

The Department of Children and Families came under scrutiny for the several drugs prescribed by the boy's psychiatrist.

Quesada wants justice for her first born. She filed the lawsuit on a week that brings back her worst memories. "For me, Mother's Day was hard because I saw so many mothers celebrating with their kids and everything. At least I have two more kids," Quesada said.

The mother said she is filing the lawsuit on behalf of her son Denis so that no other children or families have to go through this in the future.

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