Police found a frail teen handcuffed in a basement of a Missouri home on Monday. According to a Feb. 7 ABC News report, police entered the home after receiving a child abuse tip from a neighbor.
A woman answered the door and said she lived there with her husband and stepson. When police asked about the stepson, she said he was sleeping in his room in the basement and she’d go get him. Police told her to stay where she was and they went down themselves.
The boy, 17, was handcuffed to a steel pole and said he’d been there since September. Police heard him repeating, “I didn’t do anything,” as they came down the stairs. He was very thin and pale.
Authorities report he was also very cold and shivering. He was forced to sleep on the cold concrete floor and said he was only fed one pack of instant oatmeal, a pack of ramen noodles and two bologna sandwiches with water each day.
The suspects claim the boy is mentally ill and they kept him chained to keep him from acting out violently and eating raw meat. A two-year-old was also in the home. Both the teen chained in the basement and the toddler are now in foster care while the investigation is underway.
Last month, a New Mexico girl was found locked in a cage.
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