A toddler, whose death is under investigation, helped save three other lives

Three lives were saved after the death of 17-month-old Luca Sholey.

Luca died at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg on Aug. 25, four days after he became unresponsive while in the care of his mother’s then boyfriend.

But his parents, Melissa Wolfe and Eric Sholey, donated his organs, which helped save the lives of two little girls and a 54-year-old man, according to Sholey.

Now Sholey says he hopes for some justice for his son.

“Nothing can bring my son back,” Sholey said. “But I want some justice for him. There can never be full justice, but some justice.”

The toddler’s death is now at the center of two investigations. The Holmes Beach Police Department, with assistance from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, is conducting a criminal investigation but has not release any new details, including whether there are charges pending.

Paramedics were called to the family’s home in Holmes Beach on Aug. 21 after Luca had become unresponsive. Wolfe said she got a call from her then boyfriend telling her she needed to come home because Luca wasn’t breathing. He claimed that he had put the toddler to bed, and found him unresponsive when he later went to check on the boy.

His 3-year-old sister, Olivia, was also home at the time but had been sleeping.

Luca’s autopsy was inconclusive so detectives are awaiting the results of additional testing from the Medical Examiner’s Office.

A second death investigation is underway by the sheriff’s office Child Protection Investigative Division, which handles all child welfare cases for the Florida Department of Children and Families in Manatee County. The sheriff’s office and DCF have not released any details regarding their investigation.

The department did not have any prior involvement with the family, but the death is still being reviewed.

Both of Luca’s parents are cooperating with investigators as they also struggle with questions of their own.

“He was loved, that’s for sure,” Sholey said.

This story was originally published October 10, 2017 at 6:52 PM with the headline "A toddler, whose death is under investigation, helped save three other lives."