MIAMI, May 20 (UPI) -- A Florida woman has sued a psychiatrist and a now-closed group home, saying they caused her autistic son's death by giving him too much medication.
Martha Quesada filed her malpractice lawsuit Monday in Miami, the Miami Herald reported. She is seeking damages from Dr. Steven Kaplan and Rainbow Ranch, a chain of group homes shut down by the state of Florida in 2007.
Quesada's son, Denis Maltez, 12, died in 2007. An autopsy determined that his death was caused by serotonin syndrome, a rare overproduction of serotonin that can be caused by a mixture of medications, especially those used for mental conditions.
Denis had been diagnosed as being severely autistic. Quesada put him in a group home because she feared he might attack her other children.
The Florida Department of Children & Health is also investigating the death of a 7-year-old boy last month. Gabriel Myers had been given a mix of prescription drugs.
