FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Body camera footage WPTV received from a public records request, shows the moments before St. Lucie County sheriff’s deputies found a six-year-old boy’s body after an alleged exorcism attempt.
Rhonda Paulynice, who is now facing murder charges related to her son’s death, is on video using lip gloss while answering deputies' questions about her son’s continued absence at school.
WATCH: Looking into school district's absence policy after boy's death
“He’s going to go back to school,” she said to the deputy. “…I’ll give them a call. I didn’t even realize that. I’ll call his teacher.”
The video shows Paulynice gave permission for St. Lucie County deputies to enter the house, where they said they found six-year-old Ra’Myl Pierre. Officials said the child had likely been dead for several days by that point.
WATCH: Rhonda Paulynice speaks with deputies
SCHOOL ASKS FOR WELFARE CHECK
Deputies responded to Pierre’s home on 2500 block of Bedford Street near Fort Pierce after a school resource officer asked for a welfare check on May 30. According to the sheriff’s office, Pierre was last seen at school 15 days ago on May 14.
Pierre attended Samuel S. Gaines Academy of Emerging Technologies, a St. Lucie County public school. District documents said the school should refer an attendance issue to student services after the 10th unexcused absence within a 90-day period and failing to make contact with a parent.
Based on the information from the sheriff’s office and the St. Lucie Public Schools calendar, WPTV figured out the welfare check occurred on Pierre’s 11th absence.
Joesph Montgomery, who is an attorney that handles these cases, said state law requires schools take initial action by the fifth unexcused absence. He said this includes having a teacher notify a principal, who then creates a team of school employees to work with the parent on a solution. Then they elevate concerns if the school can’t get in contact with the parent.
“You have a kid that’s going to school every day and they disappear for five days, call the parent. Check on the parent,” Montgomery told WPTV. “And make a quick childline call because there could very, arguably, well be a suspicion of abuse.”
A spokesperson for St. Lucie Public Schools said it took steps to check on Pierre during the 15-day period, but said the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act doesn't allow the school to describe those steps.
This included actions taken, if any, after the fifth absence. The district also declined to tell WPTV the number of days the student was absent citing the same restriction under federal law.
