A vegan couple from Florida who have been feeding their four young children a strict diet of raw vegetables and fruit have been arrested on manslaughter and child neglect charges for allegedly starving their 18-month-old son to death.

Sheila O’Leary, 35, and Ryan O’Leary, 30, were arrested last week in the death of their youngest child who had the weight of an average seven-month-old infant.

According to a press release from the Cape Coral Police Department, on September 27, officers responded to a report of an 18-monh-old who had stopped breathing at his family home. Paramedics who were summoned pronounced the toddler dead at the scene.

The boy weighed just 17lbs at the time of his death. An autopsy later found that the toddler succumbed to conditions associated with starvation, including dehydration, a liver disorder and swelling of the hands and feet, reported The News-Press.

Read more: daily mail