Authorities have arrested the parents of a ten-year-old boy weighing 36 pounds, who was spotted looking for food in Griffin, Georgia.
On Wednesday, Tyler and Krista Schindley were being held inside the Spalding County Jail, Fox News reported, adding that a judge recently denied them bond.
An image shows the pair accused in the case:
When law enforcement answered a 911 call in the area on Friday about the couple’s son, the child explained he was hungry and was walking to a Kroger grocery store to get food.
During their conversation, he reportedly begged them not to make him return home.
There were apparently five children living in the home at the time, and 11 Alive reported that a neighbor claimed a 14-year-old resident had not been seen for several months.
Police did not speak about the possibility of the missing child but noted they were currently investigating the situation:
During a news conference on Tuesday, Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Marie Broder said officials would not be releasing images of the child.
“But I will tell you, the photos are absolutely horrible, and anybody with a human heart who looks at them should be shaken to their core,” she explained.
Atlanta News First reported neighbors were the first to notice the boy walking barefoot through the neighborhood as he went in search of food:
One woman said, “He was walking around, barefooted, confused-looking. She took him in her garage, and he said, ‘I’m really hungry. I haven’t had anything to eat since Wednesday.'”
Neighbors quickly alerted police about the situation. Now the couple reportedly faces charges including cruelty to children, attempted murder, and false imprisonment.
“I have tried many child abuse cases in my career, and this child was, simply put, being starved to death. And it is tragic,” Broder said.
The child’s skin was also reportedly discolored, and he had visible injuries. Officials took him to a hospital to be treated for malnutrition and a low heart rate. He is apparently in stable condition.
Per an arrest warrant, the child was allegedly locked up for days during the course of several years but had no water, toilet paper, or access to light, according to 11 Alive.
Meanwhile, neighbors claimed Tyler and Krista Schindley would leave their older children at home for long periods while they took vacations, Fox 5 reported Tuesday.
The four other juveniles are now being cared for by the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services, per the Fox News article.
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