Homer Laffoon, the 24-year-old son of late actress Anne Heche, has been accused of being a “deadbeat dad” by the mother of his young son.
Jessica Lamberto, 42, claims Laffoon has never contacted her to ask about their nearly three-year-old son, Rocco, who she says is non-verbal, autistic and has global developmental delay.
Lamberto said she was still processing the diagnosis and described the confirmation as devastating. Rocco has also recently undergone an MRI, with his mother awaiting the results.
The mother, who describes herself as a single parent, said she takes Rocco to physical, occupational, speech and behavioural therapy every day. She alleges Laffoon provides no assistance and has “failed” his son.
“I’m still in shock with Rocco being diagnosed, even though I already knew. As a mother, I knew … But hearing it confirmed just shattered my heart,” she said.
Child support case remains open
Lamberto also claims she has been left to cover the cost of Rocco’s care. She has launched a GoFundMe campaign seeking financial help.
An open child support case has reportedly been brought against Laffoon by the Riverside County Department of Child Support Services. Lamberto says that, as of August, he had still not been served.
The department told her: “At this time, we may not have enough information to identify or locate the parent ordered to pay support.”
Lamberto said she and Laffoon had been friends before she discovered she was pregnant, six months after Heche’s death. She claims he was uncertain about how involved he wanted to be in the child’s life.
She has previously alleged that Laffoon did not attend the hospital when Rocco was born and did not sign the birth certificate. According to her account, he first met the child when he was two months old and has not seen him since May.
