In the winter of 2015 in the Bronx, New York, the brief life of a Hispanic/Latino infant male named Mason Whyte came to a tragic end. At just seven weeks old, Mason was the son of Danielle Whyte and Jose Feliciano. The family resided in an apartment on Bogart Avenue, where the initial joy of new parenthood would soon curdle into a horrific crime that would remain a secret for days.
On the morning of December 10, 2015, the persistent cries of young Mason grated on his 51-year-old father,
Jose Feliciano. In a fit of rage, Feliciano subjected the infant to what authorities would later describe as blunt force trauma to the head. Following the assault, neither Feliciano nor Mason's 31-year-old mother, Danielle Whyte, sought medical assistance for the dying child. According to Whyte's later statements to the police, Feliciano had been abusing the baby for weeks, often choking and hitting him when his crying became incessant. On this fatal day, after Feliciano silenced the infant, he allegedly threatened Whyte, warning her not to call for help and chillingly stating that the baby was "gone" and she should "get over it."
With their son lifeless, the parents embarked on a grim journey to conceal their actions. They placed Mason's small body into a duffel bag and drove from their Bronx apartment to upstate New York. Surveillance footage would later capture Feliciano carrying the bag from their residence. The couple checked into a motel in Brewster before driving to the nearby town of Dover in Dutchess County, where they buried the infant's body in a wooded area.
The crime came to light after Danielle Whyte, overwhelmed by depression and suicidal thoughts, checked herself into a hospital in White Plains. It was there that she confessed to hospital staff what had transpired, leading the police to the shallow grave where they discovered Mason's remains. The subsequent investigation led to the arrest of both parents.
Jose Feliciano was indicted on charges of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. In March 2017, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter. At his sentencing, Feliciano expressed remorse, attributing his violent actions to a crack cocaine addiction. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
Danielle Whyte was also arrested and faced a slew of charges, including second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and concealment of a human corpse, for her role in failing to protect her son and for her part in hiding his death. Prosecutors argued that she was aware of the ongoing abuse and knowingly left her child in a dangerous situation. Her attorney contended that she too was a victim, living in fear of Feliciano. As of early 2017, the final disposition of the charges against Danielle Whyte was still pending.
