10-year-old brother of malnourished northeast Ohio toddler dies while in foster care

CLEVELAND – The 10-year-old brother of a toddler whose death was attributed to malnourishment has died while in a Cleveland foster home.

Authorities say Xavier Brothers-Bartholomew was found in full cardiac arrest Sunday and was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time later. The cause and circumstances surrounding his death are being investigated by the Cuyahoga County medical examiner and Cleveland police, which is normal procedure when a child dies.

Xavier and his five siblings became the focus of attention in November 2012 when their 18-month-old brother, Isaac, was found dead in his crib in the family's home in Vermilion, west of Cleveland. Authorities ruled that Isaac had died of malnourishment and that his siblings had been neglected by their parents, James Brothers and Adrienne Bartholomew, and their grandmother and paid caregiver, Deborah Nelson.

The parents and grandmother pleaded guilty last year to child endangering charges and are in state prison.

Isaac, Xavier and three other siblings were born with a genetic disorder that causes physical and mental impairments. A lawsuit filed in November 2014 on behalf of Isaac's estate and the guardian for his siblings said the eldest child, a boy who is not disabled, often was left to care for the younger children. The lawsuit was filed against the parents and grandmother, officials in Erie County whose agencies were responsible for overseeing the children's well-being and doctors who had treated the children.

The attorney who filed the lawsuit said the disabled children had begun to thrive in foster care and had doubled their weight.

A Cuyahoga County official said Xavier lived in a foster home for children with special needs. She said Erie County remained responsible for monitoring the well-being of Xavier and his siblings.