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The heartbreaking death of 7-year-old Isaiah Stark in 2020 is drawing renewed outrage after disturbing new allegations emerged about how local authorities may have attempted to shield his adoptive parents from accountability.
Isaiah, a severely undernourished child, died from excessive sodium intake, reportedly caused by being force-fed olive brine as punishment. According to autopsy findings, even a small amount of the brine could have been fatal due to Isaiah’s extreme dehydration. Despite this, the Grand County coroner officially classified the death as accidental.
The case took an even darker turn when it was revealed that local officials allegedly tried to suppress the findings. According to The Denver Post, Assistant Coroner Tawnya Bailey reportedly told Isaiah’s adoptive parents local police officer Jon Stark and homemaker Elizabeth Stark “I will do everything in my power to make sure this stays here.”
She also indicated that Sheriff’s Investigator Bobby Rauch would support that approach. When the Starks asked about how the district attorney might respond to the autopsy report, Rauch allegedly told them not to worry, assuring them “the case was done.”
Despite the presence of multiple red flags and a detailed autopsy by an independent pathologist, Isaiah’s death was not reported to the Colorado child abuse hotline until November 2021 nearly 21 months later. During that delayed report, it was disclosed that Isaiah had been punished repeatedly with olives and olive brine.
“The reporting party was concerned for the other children in the home and the potential for excessive discipline,” the Child Protection Ombudsman of Colorado wrote in a letter following the incident.
The Ombudsman also revealed disturbing insights into the adoptive parents’ attitudes toward the child. Jon and Elizabeth allegedly described Isaiah as “damaged when they took him in” and labeled him as “different and difficult.” Elizabeth claimed that Isaiah “hated her” from the time he was just two months old, and said his misbehavior occurred only in private, under her care.
Child welfare advocates are now demanding a full investigation into what they believe was a preventable death and a possible attempt to obstruct justice. Meanwhile, the Grand County Sheriff’s Office has defended its actions, stating it conducted a “comprehensive, professional death investigation into this matter.”
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