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Seth Johnson got sick while his parents were out of town, but they decided to pray for him instead of calling for help.
A American couple who moved to New Zealand have returned to the United States after their son died of suspected neglect.
The Minnesota District Attorney claimed that Seth Johnson, 7, died in a vomit-soaked bed after a weeks-long illness that his parents, Tim and Sarah Johnson, hadn’t handled properly — instead administering “medical honey” and praying for him.
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The Johnsons failed to show up to their first court appearance in connection with Seth’s death in 2017 and an arrest warrant was issued – but the pair had moved to Auckland.
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In New Zealand, the couple attended the now-defunct Hillside Community Church in eastern Auckland.
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Sarah and Tim Johsnson in a now-deleted photo on social media. This image is not cropped, it was uploaded this way.
Kevin Robertson, then ministry leader, said he didn’t know them well, but they were “nice people” with six children.
Jason Heale, a former Hillside pastor, said he never met the Johnsons and they never came to church while he was working there.
“Last I heard they’d moved to Beachlands and went that way to another church.”
According to the Star Tribune, Tim Johnson, 45, appeared in Hennepin County district court this week in connection with Seth’s death, which occurred on March 30, 2015.
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Seth Johnson died on March 30, 2015 of acute untreated pacreaitis and possible sepsis.
Sarah Johnson, 42, was due to appear in court later in the week, the paper said. She stayed with relatives to get help with her remaining children.
According to the criminal charges, Seth suffered extensive trauma from an inflamed pancreas and possible infections until his death.
In his final days, Seth was reportedly left in the care of his 16-year-old brother while the Johnsons attended a wedding.
Seth was adopted by the Johnsons when he was 4, and in the weeks before his death, the Johnsons said Seth would throw himself down the stairs and hit his head.
But the couple had “problems going to the doctor” and never sought medical help for Seth, the complaints said.
They said they didn’t want Seth on drugs and concluded from their examination that he had post-traumatic stress disorder from a brain injury.
The couple also said Seth had fetal alcohol syndrome, but authorities found no diagnosis, the complaints said.
The day before his death, the 16-year-old brother called the parents and said that Seth did not eat or socialize. He said the boy stopped talking and couldn’t get out of bed.
When the couple got home, Seth didn’t respond. “They prayed for his health,” the indictment said.
The next morning, Tim Johnson found Seth unresponsive on the mattress, covered in vomit. The couple cleaned him up, began CPR, and called 911.
Doctors found he died of acute untreated pancreatitis and possible sepsis. He had ulcers on his body that indicated long periods of immobility.
After his death, the Johnsons raised more than NZ$9000 to cover funeral costs on crowdfunding website YouCaring.