Michigan: Christian parents charged with murder react in horror top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Seth Welch and Tatiana Fusari reacted in horror and began sobbing in court as they were formally charged. Mr Welch shook his head and then opened his mouth in shock as Ms Fusari bit her bottom lip, looked up and started sobbing. Ms Fusari started shaking her head and then looked down with tears streaming down her face before Welch gave a look of disbelief. The pair are from Michigan and are both 27 and are accused of allowing their 10-month-old baby Mary Anne to die from malnutrition. Mr Welch previously shared his religious beliefs on his public Facebook account in photos and videos to explain why he did not trust doctors. In one post, he described doctors as "priesthoods of the medical cult." In another, he ranted: "The righteous shall live by faith. It's God who is sovereign over disease and those sorts of things and, of course, ultimately deaths." Kent County Sheriff detectives claims the pair admitted they noticed their child’s “skinny appearance and low weight” a month before her death. A couple were shocked when they were charged with the murder of their baby girl In an affidavit, police said: "Tatiana Fusari admitted during the interview that they failed to reach out for medical help with their daughter for fear of having her children removed by Child Protective Services, lack of faith and trust in the medical services and religious reasons." First responders found the baby girl at the home with sunken eyes and cheeks after Mr Welch called 911 last Thursday. He told emergency services that they found the child dead in her crib. A post-mortem confirmed Mary Anne died from malnutrition and dehydration as a result of neglect by adult caregivers. Mary Anne died from being neglected According to court documentation, they claimed they did not seek medical help "for fear of having Child Protective Services called, lack of faith and trust in medical services and religious reasons". Hand-painted biblical signs were littered outside their home as evidence of their religious beliefs. One message read: ”Repent. Believe. Obey." Mr Welch’s most recent Facebook post from August 2 revealed that he and Fusari had other children in their care. Tatiana Fusari starte sobbing in court<doc-sep>A CHRISTIAN couple who allegedly let their baby girl starve to death for religious reasons reacted in horror as they were charged with her murder. Seth Welch and Tatiana Fusari, both 27, gawped and wept in court as they were accused of allowing 10-month-old Mary Anne to die from malnutrition. 9 Tatiana Fusari cried when the charges were read out, while Seth Welch stared with an open mouth Credit: WZZM Fusari burst into tears when the couple, from Michigan, were formally charged, while Welch stared straight ahead open-mouthed. Welch has previously posted videos and comments about not trusting doctors on Facebook, citing his religious beliefs as more than enough. In one post, he described doctors as "priesthoods of the medical cult." In another, he ranted: "The righteous shall live by faith. It's God who is sovereign over disease and those sorts of things and, of course, ultimately deaths." 9 Fusari burst into tears as the charges were read Kent County Sheriff detectives claimed Welch and Fusari admitted in police interviews they had noticed the tot's "skinny appearance and low weight" a month before her death. In an affidavit, police said: "Tatiana Fusari admitted during the interview that they failed to reach out for medical help with their daughter for fear of having her children removed by Child Protective Services, lack of faith and trust in the medical services and religious reasons". 9 The dad continued to shake his head in disbelief as the charges were read out Credit: WZZM First responders found the baby girl with sunken eyes and cheeks after being called to the home on Thursday last week after Welch called 911. He told emergency services that they had found the child dead in her crib. A post-mortem confirmed the cause of death as malnutrition and dehydration due to neglect by adult caregivers. The pair were immediately called in for questioning where they admitted noticing their child was skinny and underweight as far back as a month before she died. 9 Seth Welch, 27, had been charged with felony murder and first degree child abuse Credit: Kent County Sheriff's Office 9 Cops say Tatiana Fusari failed to reach out for medical help because she feared having her children removed Credit: Kent County Sheriff's Office According to court documentation, they claimed they did not seek medical help "for fear of having Child Protective Services called, lack of faith and trust in medical services and religious reasons". Evidence of their religious beliefs were littered outside their home, which had dozens of hand-painted biblical signs onto trees and a fence. One message read: "Repent. Believe. Obey." 9 Mary Anne was just ten-months-old when she died from malnutrition and dehydration Credit: Facebook The couple, who also had two other children, aged two and four, had been raising their family in Solon Township, Kent County before their arrest. On the day of Mary's death, Welch took to Facebook to post: "Heart is about shattered right now. "Woke up to Mary dead in her bed this morning - this evening had our children removed and placed on 'no contact' because Tati and I are the worst parents ever - Thankfully they are with grandma and grandpa. "Just numb inside right now. And I'm really enjoying the loving embrace of an isolation cell from the cops and government employees who keep assuring me 'they are only here to help'." 9 The little baby was found dead on Thursday last week Credit: Facebook 9 Protective services have filed a neglect case against Fusari and Welch Credit: Facebook It is not the first time that the family have been visited by the authorities. Welch claimed that officials had contacted him after complaints were filed when he refused to get his oldest child vaccinated. Official documents confirmed that all three of the children had never been vaccinated. In a video post, he said: "It didn't seem smart that you would be saving people who weren't the fittest. "If evolution believes in survival of the fittest, why are we vaccinating everybody? Shouldn't we just let the weak die off and let the strong survive?" 9 Welch has previously ranted about his lack of trust in doctors Credit: Facebook MOST READ IN NEWS 'GOBSMACKED' Queen 'gave Harry OK for Oprah series after misleading pitch about soldiers' ROD LIDDLE Ousting right-on National Trust boss is a victory against wokery DRUMMER DEAD School Of Rock star dies at 32 after being hit by car as Jack Black mourns HOUSE ABOUT IT You won't believe what this ordinary London home looks like on the inside Exclusive TOM'S LEGACY Captain Tom Moore — who raised £39m for charity — left family £73k in will JABS HOPE Scientists 'crack cause of blood clots linked to Covid jabs & know how to fix it' Child Protective Services have now filed a neglect case against the parents involving their two eldest children - and it is believed that Fusari is pregnant with her fourth child. The pair are being held without bond and could face life in prison without parole, if convicted of felony murder. They will next appear in court on August 20.<doc-sep>A Michigan couple has been charged with murder as they stand accused of starving their 10-month-old daughter. A judge told Seth Welch and his wife, Tatiana, both 27, they faced a life sentence with no possibility of parole if they are convicted. They are accused of starving their infant daughter, Mary, who was found dead inside the Welch's farm near Grand Rapids on August 2. His jaw dropped when the judge read off the charges, which include felony murder and child abuse, and she sobbed uncontrollably during Tuesday’s hearing. The baby was so malnourished she had sunken eyes and cheeks and no pulse when paramedics found her at their home, according to officials. Hours later, Seth Welch posted a message on Facebook saying: “Heart is absolutely shattered. Woke up to Mary dead in her bed this morning ... Just numb right now." An autopsy found the cause of death was malnutrition and dehydration due to neglect by adult caregivers. The parents reportedly told police they noticed the baby was “skinny and underweight" a month ago but did not seek medical attention because of their religious beliefs and a mistrust in medicine and the government. Seth Welch’s Facebook page is are filled with rants against government, Disney characters, and even the "Harry Potter" series. RELATED STORIES<doc-sep>Christian Couple Shocked to Hear They Could Serve Life in Prison for Starvation Death of Daughter Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A young Christian farmer and his pregnant wife reacted with shock and tears Monday when they learned they could be imprisoned for life as they were formally charged in a Michigan court with felony murder and child abuse in the first degree for the starvation death of their 10-month-old daughter. The stunned farmer, Seth Welch, 27, listened with as a judge read the charges against him and his wife, Tatiana Fusari, also 27, until he heard the penalty for the charges for the death of their daughter, Mary Anne Welch, who died last Thursday. "You're both charged with what they call felony murder while in the perpetration or attempted perpetration of child abuse in the first degree. They are alleging that you murdered one Mary Welch. That is a charge called homicide felony murder. It is life without parole," the judge said in a recording as the farmer's jaw dropped and his mouth remained agape as the judge continued. His wife also bit her lips as she reacted in silent bursts of tears. "The second offense that you're both charged with is called child abuse in the first degree where they are alleging you knowingly or intentionally caused physical harm to a child. They are talking about this Mary Welch. It is a felony, possible penalty of up to life imprisonment or any term of years less than life," the judge said. Last Thursday night, the farmer who runs Blackacre Farm Products from his home in Cedar Springs, Michigan, and preaches about the Bible on social media, announced to the world on Facebook that he woke up to find his youngest child dead and he was "shattered." His two older children, ages 4 and 2, were also removed by authorities and placed in the care of his parent in West Olive. "Heart is about shattered right now. Woke up to Mary dead in her bed this morning - this evening had our children removed and placed on 'no contact' because Tati and I are the worst parents ever - Thankfully they are with grandma and grandpa. Just numb inside right now. And I'm really enjoying the loving embrace of an isolation cell from the cops and government employees who keep assuring me 'they are only here to help,'" he explained. In court records cited by Wood TV, however, Kent County Sheriff's detectives who interviewed the parents said they were aware Mary Anne was not well for at least one month before her death and did not seek medical help partly because of their faith. "During interviews with both parents, admissions were made that they were aware of Mary Welch's skinny appearance and low weight for at least one month prior to this date," an affidavit signed by a detective explains. "Tatiana Fusari admitted during the interview that they failed to reach out for medical help with their daughter for fear of having her children removed by Child Protective Services, lack of faith and trust in the medical services and religious reasons." In photos and written posts on Facebook, Seth Welch has been open about his faith. Hand painted messages on a fence at his farm warn: "Repent. Believe. Obey. 'My Kingdom is not of this world.'" In another post last month in which he revealed that he wife is pregnant with their fourth child, he called a symptom his wife was experiencing to an "interesting spiritual encounter." "Last night while my wife was at work, she all of a sudden started feeling very ill to her stomach and just crappy all over. This has not so far been a symptom of the pregnancy at all. She turned around to see if there was something that had happened. And, behold, through the door walked 'the pastor' of a very sickly (spiritually+physically) local congregation we attended," he wrote. "A man who, it was reported to my wife, had introduced a tradition of a golden collection plate, combined two 'church' official positions into one, and collected the salary for both.... Coincidence? Or spiritual science?" he asked.<doc-sep>
Seth Welch and Tatiana Fusari did not call emergency services for their sick 10-month-old daughter because of their religious beliefs and distrust of government institutions, police say. A western Michigan couple has been charged with felony murder and first-degree child abuse over the death of their 10-month-old daughter after she died of malnutrition and dehydration. Kent County Sheriff’s Department records confirm that the child died on Thursday and that an autopsy confirmed her cause of death. Seth Welch and Tatiana Fusari, both 27, were charged on Monday, and according to WOOD-TV 8, they decided not to get medical help for their daughter, Mary Anne Welch, for religious reasons and out of fear that she would be taken away. “During interviews with both parents, admissions were made that they were aware of Mary Welch’s skinny appearance and low weight for at least one month prior to this date,” an affidavit quoted by WOOD-TV states. “Tatiana Fusari admitted during the interview that they failed to reach out for medical help with their daughter for fear of having her children removed by Child Protective Services, lack of faith and trust in the medical services, and religious reasons.” Authorities say that Welch, who lives with his wife and children in Solon Township, roughly 25 miles north of Grand Rapids, Michigan, called emergency services around noon on Thursday to report that he found his daughter dead in her crib. He also posted about the incident on his personal Facebook page. “Heart is about shattered right now. Woke up to Mary dead in her bed this morning—this evening had our children removed and placed on ‘no contact’ because Tati and I are the worst parents ever,” he wrote. “Thankfully they are with grandma and grandpa. Just numb inside right now. And I’m really enjoying the loving embrace of an isolation cell from the cops and government employees who keep assuring me ‘they are only here to help.’” Welch’s Facebook is full of Christian religious quotes, and he even shares his belief that scripture can cure illnesses a few times: On June 11, he wrote: “Woke up feeling real sick today. Read The Bible for about an hour and felt all better.” His page also contains anti-vaccination posts and videos. Welch and Fusari could face life in prison if they're convicted of felony murder.