Mom accused of medical neglect claimed she didn’t have time to take son to brain surgery follow-ups despite complications

SHREVEPORT, La. (TCN) -- A mother has been arrested and charged in connection with the alleged medical neglect of her 6-year-old son. 

The Shreveport Police Department announced that on March 9, police received a report from a caseworker with the Department of Children and Family Services regarding potential medical neglect of a young child. The caseworker had received information from multiple medical facilities that incited them to call authorities after getting a formal report about medical neglect on Jan. 14.

According to police, the caseworker’s report stated the child had undergone surgery for a brain mass in October 2025 and needed to be seen for follow-up care due to hypopituitarism, post-op diabetes insipidus, and secondary adrenal insufficiency, complications that can occur after surgery. Hospital staff said seven appointments were missed and six were canceled, and they had repeatedly tried to get in touch with the child’s mother, 39-year-old LaShonda Zenon, about the appointments. 

After the report of alleged medical neglect on Jan. 14 and a subsequent investigation, DCFS got an order for custody on Feb. 26, police say. Several attempts to contact Zenon at her home were unsuccessful.

On March 9, DCFS spoke to Zenon, but she allegedly refused to answer the door. Since DCFS had custodial authority over the child, police say a judge issued an order on March 10 to allow authorities to enter Zenon’s home. She was arrested after allegedly attempting to escape over a fence with her three children. 

Zenon allegedly told officers she did not take her child to his follow-up appointments because she did not have time, according to KSLA.

Shreveport Police Department public information officer Chris Bordelon said, “That is not an acceptable answer. … When it comes to the well-being of a child, it is a priority, and it is the highest priority. So, if your child needs medical treatment, not having time to get that for them is not an excuse, and that’s not a reason for a child not to receive medical treatment — especially when we’re talking about something like brain cancer.”

Zenon was charged with possession of schedule I narcotics, resisting an officer with flight, obstruction of court orders, and three counts of controlled dangerous substances in the presence of juveniles, according to police.

Zenon’s three children, ages 14, 11, and 6, were taken into DCFS custody, KSLA reports. Law & Crime reports Zenon is currently in jail on $10,000 bond.

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