Mom of ‘severely emaciated’ 21-year-old who weighed just 59 pounds when he starved to death learns her fate
Sherrilynn Hawkins appearing in court in October 2025 (WPVI). Inset: Tylim Hatchett (WPVI).
A 43-year-old mother in Pennsylvania will spend several decades behind bars after admitting to her role in the death of her 21-year-old special-needs son, who wasted away and starved, weighing just 59 pounds when he was discovered dead in the family’s home last year.
Sherrilynn Hawkins pleaded guilty Monday to one count each of third-degree murder, neglect of a dependent care person, theft by deception, and conspiracy to commit theft by deception in connection with the death of Tylim Hatchett, authorities announced. Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Wendy G. Rothstein subsequently ordered Hawkins to serve 25 to 50 years in a state correctional facility.
According to a news release from Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, investigators are still searching for 40-year-old Vernon Hatchett, Tylim’s father, who is facing multiple felonies stemming from his son’s death, including neglect of a dependent resulting in death, abuse of a dependent, and conspiracy to commit involuntary manslaughter. Authorities are offering a $7,500 reward for information leading to his arrest. Anyone who believes they’ve spotted Hatchett is urged to call 911.
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Prosecutors said Tylim Hatchett died from prolonged neglect at the hands of his parents, as well as another woman, Loretta Harris. Harris was a friend of Hawkins. Both women accepted funds from a home health care agency to work as the 21-year-old’s caregivers, but would leave him alone for hours on end, sometimes for as long as 24 hours.
Montgomery County First Assistant District Attorney Ed McCann on Monday told the court that Hawkins’ lack of remorse was apparent in how she downplayed her actions, claiming she had been a “great care provider” for her son until she became overwhelmed toward the end of his life.
“I had hoped that she would come in and make a true expression of remorse for killing this child, for murdering this child, and perhaps give some explanation as to why she did what she did, but we clearly didn’t hear any of that today,” he said, according to a report from Philadelphia ABC affiliate WPVI.
Harris, who previously pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent person, will be sentenced in December.
As Law&Crime previously reported, police at about 7:50 p.m. on Sept. 18, 2024, responded to an apartment complex in Dresher, Pennsylvania, regarding a report of an unresponsive person. Upon arriving at the address, first responders said they found Tylim Hatchett “severely emaciated and lying on the floor.”
He was pronounced dead at the scene. Vernon Hatchett was at the apartment and allegedly told officers that he’d found his son about two hours before he got around to calling 911.
A subsequent autopsy performed by a forensic pathologist at the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office determined that the cause of death was complications due to cerebral palsy in the setting of neglect. The manner of death was determined to be a homicide.
According to a previous press release, police, with the assistance of the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, conducted an investigation and found that in February 2024, Tylim Hatchett weighed 91 pounds, meaning he had lost 31 pounds — more than one-third of his total body weight — over the course of just seven months.
Investigators also found evidence showing that Hawkins and Harris were both submitting hours and receiving money from Aveanna Healthcare to be compensated for their time, even though the women were not actually caring for the victim.
“A review of cell phone records found that Hawkins and Harris would ‘clock in’ as a caretaker for Tylim Hatchett at times they were not actively with him, leaving him alone for upwards of 24 hours at a time,” the release states. “Between Sept. 1, 2024, and Sept. 18, 2024, Tylim Hatchett was left in the apartment by himself for 356 of the 425 hours, translating to 82% of the time within those 18 days.”
According to authorities, Tylim Hatchett’s medical records also listed several medications he was supposed to take every day. Those medications needed to be prepared and provided by a caregiver as the victim was “unable to self-medicate.” However, investigators said that Harris had not given Tylim Hatchett any medications at all when she visited.
The victim’s parents also appeared to be well aware of the danger their son was in.
“Throughout September, Hawkins messaged Vernon Hatchett multiple times about their son’s deteriorating health yet continued to leave him alone without providing him food or medicine,” the release states.
NYPD charity and NY Assembly speaker pick up funeral tab for mom, disabled son found in squalid NYC apartment: ‘They are a godsend’
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The mom found dead in a squalid Bronx apartment next to the body of her disabled 8-year-old son was remembered at a moving memorial service Sunday — with an NYPD charity and State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie picking up the tab.
“NYPD With Arms Wide Open,” a nonprofit co-founded by veteran cop Merrit Riley to help special needs families, footed the food bill, and Heastie paid for the funeral service for Lisa Cotton and her young son, Nazir Milien, who were both found dead in their Wakefield apartment on April 18.
Cotton’s 4-year-old daughter Promise was found alive but in poor condition inside the apartment with their corpses and survived alone for two weeks by eating chocolate, law enforcement sources said.
“Merrit and his organization are amazing,” Cotton’s sister, Tawana Smith-Tention, who delivered the eulogy at the service, told The Post on Sunday. “They reached out to us right away and asked us what we needed. They are a godsend. You can tell that they really care.”
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Her sister was remembered as a loving mom who struggled to care for her son, who used a wheelchair and required a feeding tube for nourishment — while also having to take care of little Promise.
“My sister needed help to take care of her son, who is disabled. She wasn’t getting it,” Smith-Tention said. “A lot was said about my sister, but by people who didn’t know her. She loves her kids and took good care of them. The people who love her don’t judge her.”
More than 100 mourners attended the wake for the tragic pair at the Wake-Eden Community Baptist Church, not far from the East 231st Street walk-up where Cotton and her children lived.
“My mother loved her children. She loved Promise. She loved Nazir. She would always try to do something with them, but, you know, it’s really sad to see her go,” said Cotton’s 17-year-old daughter Nevaeh, who did not live in the apartment. “But I’m just glad that she went away peacefully.”
Born in St. Kitts, Cotton, 38, and her older brother moved to the US to live with their father, and grew up in the Big Apple, eventually graduating from John F. Kennedy High School.
Nazir was born in 2017, and she doted over the boy, her family said — until their tragic ends.
“It feels surreal to be here today,” her brother, Akim Cotton, said during the service. “My heart is aching for loss. It’s beyond words. It’s deeply beyond words. But I find comfort in the belief that they’re at peace.”
Riley said he was moved by the tragic story and offered the nonprofit’s help to the grieving family.
The veteran cop, who has a special needs son, Aidan, founded With Arms Wide Open with his partner, retired NYPD detective Danny Sprague, to help other police families with similar challenges.
“We started our foundation about 10 years ago to help police officers with kids with special needs, or terminal illness, with anything not covered by insurance,” Riley told The Post.
He said he was inspired by the goodwill of his precinct, which paid for a trip for him, his son and his son’s mom to go to the Dominican Republic — and the idea struck him.
“I wanted to do something to show my appreciation, and we started this,” he said.
“Over the years, we’ve helped quite a few police officer families. Every once in a while, when we hear a story outside of the police department, you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t help, if your heart didn’t hurt over hearing this story,” Riley added. “I had to do something.”
Heastie’s office is covering the cost of the funeral and cremation services for the pair and the church provided use of its space and musicians for free, Pastor Frank Williams told The Post.
Cotton’s horrific death was one of seven cases profiled by The Post in a report of children who died under the supervision of the city Administration for Children’s Services — case workers knocked on the door and walked away one day before the grisly discovery, leaving Promise alone inside.
Investigators believe Cotton, who suffered from asthma, may have died from cardiac arrest, while her son, who was born prematurely and had a feeding tube, may have starved to death, according to sources.
Daisy Griffin, who grew up on Qincey Street in Brooklyn with Cotton, said at Sunday’s service that her friends and relatives still want answers about what went wrong.103
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“I just want to know what really happened to her,” Griffin said. “It’s like everybody’s keeping stuff secret and it’s sad, because the family don’t even know what happened to her, not even her daughter.
“We want to know what really happened so it could be laid to rest,” she added.
