Sherrilynn Hawkins, 42, of Dresher, was Tylim's mother. (Image courtesy of Montgomery County DA)
The mother, father, and caretaker face felony charges, including murder, for their lack of care, police say.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele and Upper Dublin Township Police Chief Francis Wheatley announced three arrests at a morning press conference today at 11 a.m. stemming from a September 2024 death of a care-dependent 21-year-old. Despite his years of experience with such cases, Steele said that the “depravity of all of this is shocking.”
Tylim Hatchett, 21, lived at the Residences at the Promenade in Upper Dublin Township, but his existence was likely tortured, as police said he was left alone an estimated 82% of the time leading up to his death. Police found Tylim on the dead, on the floor, in his apartment on Sept. 19.
Tylim was described by Steele as being non-verbal, blind, deaf, and wheel-chair-bound as he suffered from cerebral palsy. He required complete care to eat, drink, bathe, take medication, and survive overall. But those paid to do so, including his parents, neglected to over a lengthy period of time.
Steele said that the arrests of Sherrilynn Hawkins, 42, of Dresher, Tylim’s mother, and Loretta Harris, 45, of Philadelphia, Tylim’s hired caretaker, were made in connection to the murder of 21-year-old Tylim Hatchett, a care-dependent person, on Sept. 19, 2024.
Hawkins is charged with first-degree murder of her son, a charge that does not permit for bail. She is held in county jail pending a trial. Harris was arrested Tuesday morning by turning herself in and is said to be arraigned later today. A bail will be determined at that time for Harris.
Loretta Harris, 45, of Philadelphia was Tylim's caretaker. (Image courtesy of Montgomery County DA)Vernon Hatchett, 39, of Glenside, the father of Tylim, is also wanted at this time, but has yet to be apprehended.
Vernon Hatchett, 39, of Glenside, the father of Tylim, remains wanted by police. (Image courtesy of the Montgomery County DA)“He is wanted. He knows he’s wanted,” said Steele. “Through this past, I would say he is a dangerous individual, and I hope that anybody that sees him will contact authorities right away.”
The three will be charged in various counts of theft and neglect, as well as murder, stemming from Tylim’s death in September.
“He was not provided food and water, was left along for long periods of time where he starved to death,” said Steele. At death, Tylim weighed only 59 pounds.
Both Hawkins and Harris were paid through a firm called Aveanna Healthcare to provide assistance and the required full-time care of Tylim. Steele said that an investigation in to the oversight and payments is still pending and that more charges may follow as the investigation continues.
“The mother, Sherrylin, and Loretta Harris were receiving money for his care,” said Steele. “They were submitting hours to be compensated for the time that they were not caring for him.”
Steele said that a very thorough and vast investigation was conducted by the Upper Dublin Township Police, which discovered “thorugh a number of means” the neglect Tylim was privy to across a lengthy period of time. Abington Hospital records, for example, had Tylim weighed during a February visit. He weighed only 91 pounds then, and by September, at his death, was down to 59 pounds.
The average weight for a man in the United States, age 20 to 29 years, is 188.6 pounds. A weight of 59 pounds would be healthy only for a child around age 10.
The county looked to its coroner’s office for a cause of death, which was found to be “complications of cerebral palsy in the setting of neglect.” The death was ruled a homicide.
“I credit detective work in this case,” said Steele. “They put a lot of hours and time to make these determinations, to show where these individuals were, that they were not with Tylim, which they were being paid to be.”
The detective work was outlined in a 53-page affidavit, which requested the arrests of the three persons involved. Steele was visibly moved by the case, as he presented the live press conference at 11 a.m. Tuesday from a podium.
“When you have a case where omission is the criminal act, you look at a situation where they have put this 21-year-old in an apartment, away from help and care, and secluded him in this area, and have not provided any of the things they were supposed to and were contracted to do during this period of time,” said Steele. “Everybody involved in this case is affected by this. This individual couldn’t care for himself. He was totally dependent on care, a care-dependent person. And they starved him to death. They just didn’t provide for him.”
Steele said that the mother’s knowledge of Tylim’s condition showed clear premeditation of her crime.
“They knew what was going on. They knew it. They did it,” he said. “And that’s why Sherrilynn is charged with first-degree murder. These were intentional omissions. She had a duty as a parent and didn’t do it.”
Calculations by police showed that, from Sept. 1 to his death on Sept. 18, Tylim was left alone for 356 of the 425 hours, or 82% of the time leading up to his last days.
According to a release on Tuesday, Dec. 31, all three defendants are charged with Neglect of a Care-Dependent Person; Hawkins is also charged with First-Degree Murder, Third-Degree Murder, and Theft by Deception; Vernon Hatchett is also charged with Involuntary Manslaughter; and Harris is also charged with Theft by Deception.
Hawkins surrendered yesterday, on Dec. 30, 2024, and Vernon Hatchett and Harris have warrants out for their arrest at this time.
Hatchett, who is also known as “Khaliyl Ward,” is wanted on an active felony arrest warrant for neglect of a care-dependent person and involuntary manslaughter in connection to the death of his 21-year-old son. He is described as being a black male, age 39, around 5’10” in height, weighing 190 pounds. His last known address was in the 300 block of Brookedale Avenue in Glenside.
Anyone with information on Hatchett’s whereabouts can reach out to Upper Dublin Township Police Detective Brian Devlin at 215-646-2101 or Montgomery County Detective James Lavin at 610-278-3368.
Steele noted that charges may still be forthcoming in this matter.
“This case remains under investigation, and we’re looking into all aspects of this. That’s what we do,” he said.
