Pennsylvania Man on the Run After Allegedly Starving 21-Year-Old Son With Special Needs to Death

Authorities in Pennsylvania have increased the reward for information leading to the capture of 40-year-old Vernon Hatchett, who is accused of letting his 21-year-old son with special needs waste away and starve to death in the family home.

District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Upper Dublin Police Chief Francis Wheatley on March 25 officially announced a reward of $10,000 for information that leads to Hatchett's arrest. The case is connected to the death of his son, who weighed only 59 pounds when he died. Authorities said Hatchett also goes by the name Khaliya Ward.

Hatchett has been on the run for more than a year and is facing a slew of felonies, all in connection with his son’s death. His charges include counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, abuse of a dependent, and conspiracy to commit involuntary manslaughter.

The victim was identified as Tylim Hatchett, the suspects 21-year-old son who had special needs.

“Vernon Hatchett is being charged with neglecting the care of his son to such an extent that it caused his death,” the district attorney said in a statement.

“Tylim was totally dependent on the adults in his life, including his father, Vernon Hatchett.”

The victim’s mother, Sherrilynn Hawkins, pleaded guilty in 2025 to one count each of third-degree murder, neglect of a care-dependent person, theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception. A judge ordered her to serve 25 - 50 years in a state correctional facility.

The reward for Hatchett’s arrest was initially set at $5000 and was increased to $ 7500 before reaching $ 10,000.

Prosecutors said the victim died from prolonged neglect by his parents, as well as another woman, Loretta Harris.

Harris, a friend of Hawkins, accepted funds from a home healthcare agency to work as the 21-year-old’s caregiver but left him alone for extended periods, sometimes as long as 24 hours.

Harris was sentenced to five years of probation after pleading guilty to endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person, theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft.

Law&Crime reported that police responded at around 7:50 p.m. on September 18, 2024, to an apartment complex in Dresher after receiving report of an unresponsive person. When officers arrived, they found the victim “severely emaciated and lying on the floor.”

He was pronounced dead at the scene. Hatchett was home at that time and told officers that he had found his son around two hours before he actually called 911.