Just moments before jury selection was set to begin, a Florida woman pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of aggravated child abuse in a heartbreaking case involving the death of her 6-year-old son.
Alize Seymore, who had initially faced a host of serious charges including murder, manslaughter of a child, child abuse, tampering with a witness, and contributing to a minor’s delinquency, entered her plea in a Polk County courtroom in Bartow. As reported by Court-TV, Seymore was immediately sentenced to 20 years in prison for each count.
The charges stem from the April 2023 death of Seymore’s son, Anthony Rouse, who drowned in a bathtub at his mother and stepfather’s home in Winter Haven. Authorities described the incident as the tragic culmination of long-term abuse and neglect.
As previously reported by CrimeOnline, Anthony had been subjected to horrific conditions before his death. Police discovered that he had spent hours locked in a dog cage in the garage, deprived of food and basic care. His body showed signs of prolonged physical abuse, contradicting Seymore’s initial claim that the boy had taken his own life.
Polk County police also revealed that other children in the household were confined to a locked bedroom without electricity. The room was strewn with clothing contaminated with feces and urine. According to investigators, a 10-year-old sibling admitted that the children were “rewarded” with candy for abusing Anthony, including locking him in the dog cage.
The same child reported witnessing Tre Seymore Alize’s husband and Anthony’s stepfather hold Anthony’s head underwater in the bathtub on the day of his death. Prior to the fatal incident, Alize had texted Tre, saying, “I want to put him up for adoption.”
Tre Seymore pleaded guilty earlier to second-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child, child abuse, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He agreed to testify in Alize’s trial and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Anthony’s biological father told WTSP that the boy was initially in state custody for the first two years of his life while Alize was under investigation by the Department of Children and Families. He eventually gained full custody but lost it when the child was 5 due to a domestic violence incident involving an ex-girlfriend.
“They felt the need to take him from someone he knew his whole life and just throw him directly to someone he’d only seen, you know, a handful of times,” the father said. With Monday’s plea deal, Alize Seymore avoided a lengthy trial—but not the consequences of her actions, which have left a lasting scar on those who knew Anthony.