Worst Parent of the Week: Faith Healer Parents Let Son Die of Treatable Illness

Brandi Bellew's first husband, Brian Sprout, died of sepsis from a leg injury after failing to seek medical treatment, but still she wasn't moved to bring her son Austin, 16, to the hospital during the week he languished at home before he passed away last December. The Daily Mail reports the cause death has not been released but investigators said it was "highly treatable."

According to the Register-Guard, Brandi and her second husband, Russel Bellew and their six other children, are members on the General Assembly of the Church and of the First Born in Pleasant Hill, Oregon, a congregation that believes in using prayer to treat illness.

On Monday, April 15, 2012, the county juvenile court ruled that the remaining children would be wards of the state. They can remain home but under the watch of an approved "safety provider" who is mandated to immediately notify the Department of Human Services if the children display any signs of illness or injury. The parents are facing charges of second-degree manslaughter.

A state caseworker revealed that Russel's first wife, Randi, is also deceased but of unknown causes. Her obituary reportedly said she was, "preceded in death by two daughters."

Austin's uncle, Shawn Sprout still hasn't lost the faith. "We trust in God for everything. We trusted him to take care of our illnesses and heal us…it wasn't in our hands," he told KVAL News.

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