The Misery Machine - The Story of Bianca Blaise + Larry Rhodes Jr.

Starting point is 00:00:00 Imagine living in a small room in a low-budget motel off of a highway with your parents and your five other siblings. Many kids would consider it to be hell in a single room with just one sibling growing up. Now imagine what it would have been like to live with seven others in such a crowded space that according to sources, was constantly a mess. Now imagine not being able to leave this hotel room. This takes place in Kissimmee, Florida. Disney World is just a few miles to the north, but you're completely out of reach. completely isolated from the world with the exception of your family. Most six-year-olds are excited to go to school and make friends,

Starting point is 00:00:36 but this little boy did not get to do that. His parents kept him out of school, and sadly, he did not have any friends. Now, please note this little boy in question, did not have his name released to the media, so we do not know it. On July 22nd, 22, 9-1-1 dispatch received a call from 25-year-old Bianca Blaze. The young woman advised dispatches, that she lived with her 22-year-old boyfriend, Larry Rhodes Jr., and their six kids ranging in ages from 10 months old to six years old.

Starting point is 00:01:07 The location? The Knights Inn located at 7475 West Earl O Bronson Memorial Highway. Bianca and Larry had been a couple for seven years. They moved to Kissimmee, Florida in March of 2022, and in April they moved into room 510 of the Knights Inn. The parents shared one bed. The six other kids shared the other. Now we should really be clear the type of place this family was living in. The pictures from the Knights Inn website makes it look like conditions are reasonable. However, looking through many reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor, multiple reviewers have claimed that the pictures shown are not accurate.

Starting point is 00:01:46 Claims of mold, bugs, unclean rooms, hostile staff, and broken facilities are a theme throughout many different reviews. Bianca had claimed that her six-year-old son had drowned accidentally. Now, the motel did have a small kidney-shaped swimming pool, but remember, the kids were not allowed to leave the room. So you might be wondering, well, maybe the little boy drowned accidentally while being left unattended in the bathtub. Well, that is certainly possible.

Starting point is 00:02:16 It's very unlikely to happen in such a small room without the two adults knowing. But unfortunately, none of these scenarios are what actually is. happened. Bianca's son was found unconscious with his head in the toilet and appeared as if he was attempting to drink water from the bowl. His eyes were also severely swollen shut and he had what was described as light blood coming out of his mouth and he also appeared to be malnourished. Now according to Bianca despite the hotel room having no kitchen, her family always had plenty to eat and drink. But if this was the case, then why was the little boy in such poor condition? And why was he trying to drink from the toilet bowl? When emergency services arrived on the scene, Larry was holding the little boy in his

Starting point is 00:03:06 arms. He did not have a pulse and he was not breathing. CPR was administered and he was first rushed to Advent Health Celebration and then finally Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando. This is about a 20-mile drive. There, he was treated for a life-threatening brain bleed, a lacerated liver, and he was placed on life supports. According to Osceola County Sheriff's deputies, two of the other younger kids also had multiple visible injuries that ranged from fresh cuts and bruises to swollen and hemorrhaging eyes. They too appeared to be malnourished.

Starting point is 00:03:39 We're also taken to the hospital for treatment. Now, Larry and Bianca claimed that the injuries were due to a physical altercation between siblings the day prior. Now, although tempers flaring and a scuffle breaking out between siblings in a crowded motel room is certainly possible, The sheer brutality of all the collective injuries of these three kids immediately set off red flags with police. When the deputies went to interview the neighbors in Room 511, their suspicions were confirmed that there was indeed something more to the story. The neighbors, John and Patsy Holder, informed the deputies that they heard a loud thud sound coming from the ruin approximately 10 to 15 minutes before emergency services arrived, which they thought was one of the kids falling.

Starting point is 00:04:21 When Bianca was interviewed, she told the detectives that she had. had left the nights in for a period of time to go to work on July 5th. She typically worked from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. driving for shipped in Uber, and then also took classes towards a medical assistant degree. While she was away, she claimed it was Larry's responsibility to play the role of stay-at-home dad. She said oftentimes the family would be asleep before she even got home. Bianca claimed that her kids were generally well-behaved, but occasionally they'd recreate fights they see watching wrestling or watching UFC, and she went on to describe an incident where one of the kids ended up with a black eye. She told detectives that due to her work schedule,

Starting point is 00:05:02 she'd only know about the day's events if Larry shared that information with her. On this particular day, Bianca claimed to have gotten up in the morning to pay for the motel fees and then to take a drug test. The testing facility was closed, so she returned home at approximately 2 p.m. Larry was asleep on the bed, and one of her kids was standing in the corner, which was a punishment for peeing on the bed the night prior. So yes, you've heard this correctly. Larry the stay-at-home dad is asleep, and the six children are doing whatever they want. Bianca claimed she went to use the bathroom and was met with a bizarre discovery. Her six-year-old son's head was in the toilet bowl, and it looked like he had been drinking from it. Now, this made

Starting point is 00:05:45 her very angry, so she ordered the little boy to go stand in another corner of the room by the front door. According to Bianca, the little boy exited the bathroom all on his own, and she closed the door behind her. Shortly after, Bianca claimed to hear Larry shouting the little boy's name, followed by three loud claps. Now, this prompted Bianca to exit the bathroom where she found her six-year-old son lying on his back on the floor, with Larry standing less than a foot from him. Now, according to Bianca, Larry roughly assisted the little boy to his feet, and they both walked to the bathroom together, where she heard the shower start seconds later. However, the little boy became unresponsive and Larry shouted for Bianca to call 911. Bianca claimed that Larry exited the bathroom

Starting point is 00:06:31 carrying the six-year-old in his arms, placed him on the floor and attempted CPR, which resulted in the boy expelling water from his mouth. However, in a later interview, Bianca described the detectives how she and Larry liked to discipline their kids. This included what she called whoopings, where she made them stand in a corner for 30 to 45 minutes sharing a large shirt between all of them, as well as forcing them to perform exercises such as squats for prolonged periods of time. Now keep in mind, this is all going on in a tiny motel room, and the eldest of her kids is only six. Bianca also shared that Larry would become upset with their kids over the most minor things. It had gotten worse in the recent weeks as he had recently run out of medication that he used to treat a

Starting point is 00:07:16 schizophrenia. Bianca told the detectives that Larry would beat their kids with his hands, a belt, or with a tan-colored sandal. The sandal was typically kept near the corner where the kids were sent to stand if they misbehaved. The detectives asked Bianca if she would be willing to review photographs of the injuries inflicted upon her six-year-old son, which were taken on July 5th, and she agreed. The injuries range from bruising, abrasions, hemorrhaging eyeballs to a discolored and irritated groin. He also had scars from old wounds on his back and chest, burns to his neck and legs, among many others. Bianca denied knowledge of many of the injuries and others she claimed were due to carpet burns, diaper rashes, a fight with his brother, and a fall from the bed.

Starting point is 00:08:02 Bianca said she did not seek medical help for her son and denied causing his injuries, but speculated that Larry could have been the one to cause them. When asked how she was unaware of the extensive and very visible injuries inflicted upon her eldest son. Bianca claimed that when she would come home, her kids are normally already bathed in dress, therefore she never sees them unclothed. The mother concluded her interview by expressing that she knew that she needed to leave Larry, not only to protect her six kids, but to protect herself. She claimed that she was unable to successfully leave her boyfriend because she did not want to argue with him, and that she claimed that she did not have the financial means to leave.

Starting point is 00:08:42 Larry, too, was interviewed by detectives, but he immediately asked for a lawyer. No, further questions were asked about the events that occurred in no detail surrounding the incidents were discussed. On July 6, a search warrant was issued, which included the collection of DNA evidence from both parents. Cheek swabs, major case prints, hand swabs, nail clippings, photographs, and clothings were collected from both Larry and Bianca. It should be noted that Larry's shorts were spattered in blood. A search at the room revealed blood spatter on a section of the wall nearer Bianca reportedly told deputies that her kids were made to stand with their noses in a corner as punishment, as well as two guns with multiple magazines.

Starting point is 00:09:25 One of those guns was a Black Springfield Hellcat 9mm handgun with an extended magazine. The serial number matched a handgun that had been stolen in Fort Lauderdale, and the other was a semi-automatic rifle, but no other information was provided about it. In addition, a shoe was found on a table with a sole car. covered in blood. Based on photographs entered into evidence, it appears to be the notorious tan sandal. And the print on the soul matched scars found on the bodies of some of their kids. On July 7th, Larry and Bianca were charged with six counts of neglect of a minor with great bodily harm. Larry also received a separate charge for aggravated CA. Their bail was set at $15,000.

Starting point is 00:10:12 The mother of six managed to bond out shortly after she was arrested. Now unfortunately, the six-year-old little boy did not make it. And on Tuesday, July 12th, he succumbed to his injuries. Bianca and Larry's charges were upgraded to homicide, aggravated manslaughter, and six counts of CA, with Larry also facing a separate battery charge. The couple are currently being held without bond in the Osceola County Jail. All five of their surviving kids. were placed in foster care.

Starting point is 00:10:44 Additionally, more information came to light from two others who had witnessed the events of July 5th. The boy's four-year-old and five-year-old siblings. Apparently, but not surprisingly, Bianca had lied about the whole thing. During a press conference, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez revealed that, as I'm sure you've guessed, the boy did not drown at all. According to Lopez, quote, that had nothing to do with why he was a lot of breathing. The reason he wasn't breathing is because his parents got angry that he was drinking out of the toilet and started to beat him. First the mother beat him. Then the father started repeatedly punching this little boy with closed fists. He punched him multiple times in the head and the stomach area. This was a six-year-old child. Maybe he was thirsty. He went to the toilet. He was trying to survive. Mama caught him and the poor guy paid the price. End quote. Aside from the neighbors in room 511, others living in the Knights Inn that were interviewed by the deputies claimed that they had never heard any commotion inside of the motel room.

Starting point is 00:11:51 According to Lopez, quote, the only thing I can think is they were beaten so much they weren't crying anymore, end quote. Lopez said one of his most seasoned detectives who had been with the department for 19 years said she had never seen a worst case of CA. He shared his sentiment regarding both Bianca and Larry, to which I'm pretty sure we can all agree upon, that these people are savages.

The Misery Machine - The Story of Bianca Blaise + Larry Rhodes Jr.

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