Doctors say an autistic Massachusetts boy caught in the middle of a parental custody dispute will likely soon die as a result of neglected medical care.

Jeremy Fraser, 8, is in the final stages of leukemia after his mother allegedly delayed chemotherapy appointments and withheld home treatments and prescriptions. Kristen A. LaBrie, 36, was arraigned Monday in Salem District Court on one count of child endangerment.

Her estranged husband and the boy's father, Eric J. Fraser, has taken over custody after admittedly withdrawing from his son's life for much of the previous year, The Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

Police reports and records in Essex Probate and Family Court, indicate that Jeremy Fraser was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 although doctors said the boy had a good prognosis with regular chemotherapy treatments.

But when LaBrie in mid-February took Jeremy in for a routine appointment, doctors determined that he wasn't getting the care he needed. They alerted the Department of Social Services and the father, who acknowledged he wasn't part of his son's life from March through December 2007 -- a decision he claims he made to protect Jeremy after he received verbal and physical threats from LaBrie.

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