Zachariah's mother, stepfather charged with manslaughter in his death

The mother and stepfather of six-year-old Zachariah Charles have been charged with manslaughter in his death.

A release from the police service said that Rnella Charles, 31, and Stephon Brizan, 32, were charged with the office on Wednesday, following advice received from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

It said Charles and Brizan are expected to appear before the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court on Friday to answer to the charges.

According to a police report, on April 12, Zackariah was brought into the Port of Spain General Hospital by relatives in an unresponsive state. Doctors and nurses told police that the child's body bore several visible bruises.

It was reported that he allegedly slipped and fell while running to get a towel following his bath that night. He was found on the floor of the bathroom of a relative’s apartment in Building 25, Old St Joseph Road, East Port of Spain.

The pair was subsequently detained in connection with the incident.

An autopsy was carried out on April 14 which revealed that the cause of death was multiple blunt-force injuries.