REMEMBERING EZEKIEL

Ezekiel Irwin was two years old. Ezekiel was a medically vulnerable little boy who required specialized care just to breathe. He had a tracheostomy and used a ventilator, meaning he depended completely upon the adults caring for him to make sure his airway remained clear and his medical equipment functioned properly. At only two years old, Ezekiel could not understand the enormous responsibility involved in his care. He simply needed someone else to keep him safe. Like every two year old, Ezekiel should have been given the chance to grow. There should have been birthdays, childhood milestones, school, friends and years for his family to discover the person he would become. Instead, Ezekiel's life ended before he reached his third birthday. His name was Ezekiel Irwin. And his medical needs should never define his memory any more than the circumstances surrounding his death. He was a little boy first.

EZEKIEL'S STORY

On January 31, 2023, emergency personnel were called after Ezekiel became unresponsive at his home in Pueblo, Colorado. Ezekiel was taken to a hospital and later transferred to Children's Hospital Colorado in Colorado Springs. Doctors discovered that Ezekiel had been deprived of oxygen for so long that his brain was no longer functioning. Because Ezekiel breathed through a tracheostomy tube, maintaining and clearing that tube was essential to keeping him alive. According to the arrest affidavit, a doctor told investigators that Ezekiel most likely suffered oxygen deprivation because his tracheostomy tube had not been properly cleared. The doctor explained that Ezekiel's ventilator should have sounded an alarm alerting his caregiver that something was wrong. The doctor described Ezekiel's death as preventable.

Ezekiel also had injuries to his face that concerned doctors. Investigators began looking more closely at what had happened inside his home. Later that night, Ezekiel died.

THE INVESTIGATION

As Pueblo police investigated Ezekiel's death, they interviewed people familiar with what had been happening inside the home. According to information contained in the arrest affidavit, investigators learned of allegations that went beyond inadequate medical care. A witness told police that she had previously seen Ezekiel's mother restrain the little boy's arms behind his back and push his face into a wall repeatedly. The witness described seeing Ezekiel's lip bleed afterward. Doctors examining Ezekiel after his final hospitalization also documented an abrasion and blood on his lip as well as scratches on his face. Those findings contributed to investigators' concerns about the circumstances surrounding his death. Police searched the family's Pueblo residence. Later on January 31, Mythia Latka was arrested on suspicion of child abuse causing death.

JUSTICE FOR EZEKIEL

The criminal investigation initially resulted in Mythia Latka's arrest on suspicion of child abuse causing death. The case was subsequently escalated. In February 2023, prosecutors filed a first degree murder charge against Latka in connection with her son's death. Because criminal charges are accusations unless and until they result in a conviction, Ezekiel's memorial should distinguish clearly between what medical professionals documented and what prosecutors alleged Latka did. Based on the reliable information I can currently verify, I do not have sufficient documentation of a final conviction and sentence to state that Latka was convicted of Ezekiel's death.

Mythia Latka
Relationship to Ezekiel: Mother
Charges: First degree murder following an initial arrest for child abuse causing death
Case status: Final disposition not confirmed

FOREVER REMEMBERED

Ezekiel Irwin was two years old. His life required more care than the life of many children his age. Every breath depended upon equipment working correctly and an adult being there when he needed help. That vulnerability should have surrounded Ezekiel with protection. Instead, he died after being deprived of oxygen for so long that his brain could no longer function. A doctor reviewing what happened described his death as preventable. That word is difficult to escape. Preventable. Because Ezekiel was two. He could not maintain his own tracheostomy. He could not respond to the alarm on his ventilator. He could not call for help. Those responsibilities belonged to the adults around him. But Ezekiel's life should not be remembered solely through medical equipment, an arrest affidavit or criminal charges. He was a child. There should have been a third birthday. There should have been preschool. Kindergarten. School pictures. Friends. There should have been years for Ezekiel to grow stronger and experience a world far larger than the medical challenges he faced as a toddler. He deserved that chance. His name was Ezekiel Irwin. Abuse Angels remembers Ezekiel Irwin the medically vulnerable two year old little boy who depended upon the adults around him for every breath and who deserved the care, protection and future every child should receive. We remember Ezekiel. We speak his name. And Ezekiel Irwin will not be forgotten.