PLAINS TWP., LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A mother accused of causing the death of her disabled son through severe malnutrition and neglect and then burning his remains has now been charged with third-degree murder.
57-year-old Linasheri D’Onofrio was previously charged with neglecting to provide care in the death of her 24-year-old son Shain Cori-Jesi D’Onofrio.
Detectives have determined to upgrade D’onofrio’s charges to include the following:
- Third Degree Murder
- Neglect of care of a dependent person
- Reckless burning
In February 2018 the victim’s body was burned in a shed at D’Onofrio’s former home, in the East Mountain Ridge Mobile Home Park, Plains Township.
In February 2023, almost five years later, investigators arrested Donofrio for the death of her son.
According to Dr. Debra Eserino-Jensen, the Chief of Child Protection Medicine at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hosptial, all the evidence showed the victim would have suffered greatly from lack of nutrition saying at some point near the end of his life, Shain would have been too weak to move or cry out.
Detectives believe that the victim’s body was stored, dead, from at least September 5, 2017, until February 23, 2018, at which point Donofrio removed the body from the home, placed him in the shed, and set it on fire.
D’Onofrio remains in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on a $200,000 bail.
