Inset: Nikol L. Zenon (Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office). Background: The area in Louisiana where Zenon lived with her children (Google Maps).
A 39-year-old mother in Louisiana whose 6-year-old daughter had brain surgery late last year is accused of medical neglect for allegedly refusing to bring her child back to see her doctors despite "serious medical complications" arising after the procedure.
LaShonda Nikol Zenon was taken into custody Tuesday evening and charged with a spate of crimes, including possession of Schedule I narcotics, resisting an officer by flight, obstruction of court orders, and possession of controlled dangerous substances in the presence of juveniles, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Shreveport Police Department, the investigation into Zenon began when a caseworker with the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) reported concerns about a 6-year-old child believed to be the victim of medical neglect.
The concern originated with doctors at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Affiliate Clinic at Feist-Weiller after the child underwent brain surgery for a craniopharyngioma, which is a brain mass, in October 2025.
After surgery, the child reportedly developed several "serious medical complications" — including hypopituitarism, diabetes insipidus, and adrenal insufficiency — conditions that require careful and consistent medical follow-up.
Doctors told authorities that since the surgery, seven medical appointments had been missed and six others had been canceled. The medical staff said its repeated attempts to contact Zenon were unsuccessful.
DCFS opened a medical-neglect investigation on Jan. 14 and later obtained a custody order for the child on Feb. 26, police said.
Detectives with the Shreveport Police Department made several attempts to locate the child at the family's residence in the 9000 block of Royalton Drive but were unsuccessful.
On March 10, after a judge signed a court order allowing officers to enter the residence if necessary, police conducted surveillance at the home. Around 5:30 p.m., officers spotted Zenon outside placing items into a vehicle before returning inside the house.
"When officers moved in to make contact, Zenon ran back inside and refused to answer the door," police wrote in the release. "Officers positioned around the residence then observed her flee out the back of the home with the children by climbing over a six-foot privacy fence. After a brief foot pursuit, Zenon was taken into custody."
The children were safely recovered and turned over to DCFS workers at the scene. Police said the children were "crying, sweating, and visibly shaken," with minor scrapes from climbing the fence.
Zenon later told investigators she had a "feeling" police were in the area after receiving a phone call from an unknown person and spotting officers down the street before attempting to flee with the children, according to a report from local CBS affiliate KSLA.
She allegedly acknowledged that the child had missed follow-up medical appointments after the brain surgery, telling investigators she had been busy and did not have time to take the child, the station reported.
Zenon was booked into the Caddo Parish Jail, where she is being held on $10,000 bond. It was not immediately clear when she was scheduled to appear in court.