A boy who was starved to death and buried in a garden by his parents was "invisible and lost" from the sight of authorities, an independent review said.
Abiyah Yasharahyalah, three, died after his parents' culture and beliefs had a detrimental impact on his health, welfare and safety, the review concluded.
Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, 42 and 43, were jailed after being convicted of causing Abiyah's death, having left his body at the Birmingham house they were evicted from in 2022.
Birmingham Children's Trust, which "fully supports the report's findings", said the family had contact with social services in 2016 – when it was rated inadequate by Ofsted and before the trust's formation.
Tai Yasharahyalah, 42, was jailed for 24-and-a-half years and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, 43, for 19-and-a-half years at Coventry Crown Court last year after being found guilty of causing Abiyah's death.
The Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review found that while the cause of his death was undetermined, Abiyah was clearly malnourished in the period leading up to it, "invisible and lost" from the sight of child services.
The authorities showed a lack of curiosity about how his parents' culture and lifestyle might have impacted on his wellbeing, with the report warning that "the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount".
Abiyah died in early 2020 from a respiratory illness, worsened by a "restricted" vegan diet that caused severe malnourishment, rickets, anaemia and stunted growth.
'Abiyah seen for limited time'
His parents were evicted from a house in Clarence Road, Handsworth, in March 2022, before police found their son's body nine months later.
During an eight-week trial, the court heard the couple had created their own bespoke belief system based on a mixture of elements that drew from New Age mysticism and West African religion.
The report, by Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership (BSCP), said the family had strong religious beliefs, adhered to a strict dietary regime and led an alternative lifestyle described as living "off-grid", avoiding engagement with any statutory agencies and services.
It noted Abiyah "was only ever seen by a small number of professionals during his lifetime, and for a limited time only".
According to records, he was seen by a health visitor in April 2016 shortly after his birth, and the following month for a check-up.
There was some contact in 2018 with a local authority social worker in London and four visits to a children's centre in Birmingham.
However, the review said: "Records of these contacts and interactions are very limited, reinforcing that there was very little insight into [Abiyah's] existence, health or welfare."
