Green Bay-area woman charged with hiding 5-year-old son’s corpse, says she gave him CBD to treat seizures – The Sheboygan Press

Hussein(Photo: Courtesy of the Brown County Jail)

GREEN BAY - A5-year-old boy whose body was found in the trunk of his mom'scar March 30 had died months earlier, authorities said.

Sagal A. Hussein, 25, of Howard was charged Thursday with hiding her son Josias Marquez's body in her car,as new court documents reveal shocking details about the allegations against her and previous reports of neglect.

Josias used a wheelchair and relied on others for feeding. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. His doctor said because of his serious seizure history, he could have a "fatal outcome" from a seizure without medications, according to a criminal complaint filed in Brown County court.

Hussein told investigators she had not given him his seizure medications since 2018 and decided instead to treat him withCBD oil.

A former day care teacher of Josiastold investigators that the child was "always very thin" and was in an "inadequate stroller" that gave him very little support. He would often miss the class "in spurts" and Hussein's reasons for the lack of attendance were vague, the teacher told investigators. The teacher and day care director contacted Child Protective Services because of Josias' lack of food, malnutritionand lack of communication with other children and staff.

A family advocate for the Howard-Suamico School Districttold investigators she conducted two home visits with the Husseinsin 2018, butnever met Josiasduring the visits. The advocate said shefiled a reportwith CPS because she was concerned he was being left at home aloneand she had never seen him, the criminalcomplaint states.

A social worker for the school district told investigators that she first became involved with Josias in January 2019 because of his special needs. She struggled to connect with Hussein and had contact with the boy only in the first meeting in early 2019.

Deputies first visited Hussein's home Jan. 26 after a neighbor said two of Sagal A. Hussein's children were outside without supervision.Her 6-year-old said Hussein had left the night before.

Deputies later found out that Hussein had another 5-year-old son, Josias,and they became suspicious when there were inconsistencies in what she told them about where Josias was, the complaint states.

Hussein said Jan. 28 that he was staying with his biological father in Michigan, but investigators found no records for the man she identified. They later learned his real father lives in California.

Officials at the child's school, Bay Harbor Elementary in Suamico, said they hadn't seen him since winter break in December.

RELATED: Brown County authorities confirm body found in woman's car trunk was her dead 5-year-old son

Sagal told the boy's father that she "f---ed up" and was "in a hell oftrouble" in a phone call on March 26, according to a recording of the call.

Investigators used a search warrant March 30 to seizeher vehicle and send it tothe Wisconsin State Crime Labto be searched. That's when lab workers found Josias' body in the cargo area of the vehicle.

Hussein did not show any emotion or concern about the boy's safety when investigators questioned her or when they told her that it seemed like the boy died related to his medical condition and Hussein "freaked out," the complaint states.

A friend said Hussein had postedmany photos of her other two children but did not see any of Josiason her Facebook page.

The children's father lived with them soon after Josias was born and was their primary care provider. He moved to California in January 2019 because he became "fed up with Sagal and not helping care for the kids," he told investigators. He said Hussein was lying and hebecame worried about his son in hisphone conversation with HusseinMarch 26.

He told investigators he thought Hussein was embarrassed their son had a disability and treated the other children better than she treated him, according to the complaint.

According to the autopsy, the body was "significantly undernourished, mummified, had mold in places on his body, and that a long dark colored hair was located on the decedent's left thigh. Based on the decomposition of the decedent, the decedent had been deceased for months," the complaint states.

Josias' weight in the autopsy was 20 pounds. The doctor said that his level of nourishment "was severe and would have created a significant risk of death."

Medical records found that Josias had not received medical treatment for his serious health conditions since 2018 and was not taking his prescribed medications.

Hussein faces charges of chronic neglect of a child resulting in death, hiding a corpse, two counts of neglecting a childand five counts of obstructing an officer.

Hussein is being held in the Brown County Jail. If convicted, she faces a maximum of 80 years in prison. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled May 7.

Contact Benita Mathew at (920) 309-3428 or bmathew@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @benita_mathew.

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Green Bay-area woman charged with hiding 5-year-old son's corpse, says she gave him CBD to treat seizures - The Sheboygan Press