A starving teen was found handcuffed to a pole in his parent’s basement. Kansas City, Missouri police have arrested three adults suspected of abuse.
Information from the Department of Family Services led police to check the safety of the 17-year-old. The officers were met at the door by a couple thought to be the boy’s parents. The adults complied with the officer’s request to speak with their son by leading them to the basement stairs.
As the officers entered the basement, they heard the boy repeatedly calling out that he “didn’t do anything.” When they turned on the lights, they immediately realized that they had walked into a serious situation.
The teen was found curled up on the floor, handcuffed to a steel support beam in his parents’ basement. As reported by Fox 4 , the police report detailed the victim’s frail condition:
“His face was sunken in on the sides and his eyes had a look of desperation. He was shivering and he said he was very cold. He continuously asked for his jacket and shoes. He had only a few thin blankets to lay on and to cover up with as he slept on the cold concrete floor.”
The boy was reportedly being punished for striking his stepmother. According to the victim’s account, his father initially locked him in the basement on September 27. The teen states that, at one point, he escaped the basement to search for food. His father became enraged and handcuffed him to a rail on the bed to prevent him from leaving the basement again.
On a later occasion, the teen was reportedly able to take his bed apart and attempted to break the door down with one of the rails. The second attempt to escape further angered his father, who eventually handcuffed the boy to a steel support beam. The victim estimated that he remained handcuffed to the steel pole for nearly three months.
As reported by Fox News , Kansas City police are still investigating the situation and have not determined the charges. The names of those involved have not been released. The teen who was found handcuffed in his parents’ basement has been released to child services.