A 10-year-old boy was locked in a filthy bedroom for close to two years and fed nothing but fast food, police in London, Ontario have discovered.
The boy was found in a room covered with urine and feces and littered with fast food containers . The boy’s pajamas and mattress were also covered in urine, police said.
The boy was underweight and malnourished when found, and police say he was only fed once in the morning and again in the evening.
Police have charged the boy’s aunt and uncle, who were his caregivers, with forcible confinement and failing to provide the necessaries of life. The boy was found with another child, a 9-year-old girl, who was in healthy condition. Both are in the care of Children’s Aid Society.
There was little word on what happened to the boy’s parents, though they were reportedly not from Canada.
Despite the horrible conditions, workers say they are happy to have gotten the child out alive.
“There are too few situations in the field of child welfare where we can say we are overcome with joy,” said Jane Fitzgerald, executive director of the Children’s Aid Society for London and Middlesex.
“This week, our community came together in the service of a child, and he and another child are now safe.”
Another child was not so lucky. Austin Davis , a 3-year-old from Colorado, was found dead after police say his mother locked alone inside of a cabin for close to four days. The boy eventually succumbed to dehydration, police said.
Police said that mother Meghan McKeon left her 3-year-old son alone while she went to work and then stayed at a boyfriend’s house.
Police added that McKeon had a history of leaving her son alone for days at a time, often without food, water, or heat. When Austin Davis died, she left him with only a movie playing.
The 10-year-old boy found in filthy conditions in London, Ontario is reportedly doing well now and has been released from a hospital.