A Childhood Stolen in Silence
Six-year-old Anthony Rouse should have been playing, laughing, and dreaming of the future. Instead, his short life was marked by cruelty that no child should ever endure. On April 22, 2023, emergency responders arrived at a Winter Haven, Florida home to find Anthony face down in a bathtub, unconscious. His mother, Alize Seymore, and stepfather, Tre Seymore, told authorities the boy had been sent to bathe as punishment for soiling himself. But behind that story was a darker truth. Anthony was rushed to the hospital, but two days later, he was gone. The investigation that followed revealed not just a drowning, but a horrifying pattern of abuse that had robbed Anthony of safety and love inside his own home.
A Pattern of Unimaginable Abuse
Medical examinations uncovered the true extent of Anthony’s suffering: cigarette burns, scars, rectal bleeding, and countless injuries no child should bear. Investigators found a large dog cage in the garage, used as punishment and to hide Anthony from visitors. Testimonies revealed that Alize and Tre even encouraged Anthony’s siblings to take part in the abuse, forcing them to beat him or help lock him in the cage. One sibling confessed to lying about the drowning, admitting to threats from Alize and recalling the horrific moment when Tre held Anthony’s head under the water. Forensic evidence from the Seymores’ cell phones revealed disturbing text messages, photos, and videos that documented Anthony’s torment. The truth was undeniable: this was not a tragic accident, but a cycle of deliberate, devastating abuse.
Justice for Anthony, But No Healing for His Loss
In August 2023, a Polk County grand jury indicted both Alize and Tre Seymore on charges of first-degree murder and child abuse. Facing overwhelming evidence, Tre pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child, and related charges, receiving a 30-year sentence in exchange for testifying against Alize. On the day jury selection began for her trial, Alize pled guilty to two counts of aggravated child abuse. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison, sentences to run concurrently. Though the
