Boy Locked in 'Torture Chamber'

Summary:

In Toquerville, Utah a boy, who is now 12 years old, has been found in a bathroom after at least a year. Who locked him in there? His mother. His parents are separated and the father found him in the bathroom and rushed him to the emergency room. Doctors say he will be in the hospital for at least 3 weeks. The mother was charged with one count of felony child abuse. He's been uneducated for 3 years and the boy lives in the house with 2 other siblings, but the other boys don't show any signs of abuse. 

He was so malnourished (not getting the proper nutrients) that he only weighed 30 pounds. The bathroom was found with a toilet that was so full there was no water inside, feces and urine all over the floor, and the light switch was duct taped, so he was living in darkness. There was also duct tape on the shower drain. He was so weak he wasn't even able to take the duct tape off. The only signs of food were empty bean cans with a spoon thrown in the shower. The mother even spied on his with a video camera and she gave him a baby monitor that was set up so she could give him instructions but he couldn't talk back. Some even described the conditions as living in a concentration camp or a torture chamber. 

Read the full stories here and here.

    Questions:
    1. What do you think about the mother's charges? Do you think only being charged with one count of felony child abuse is enough?
    2. Why do you think she only did this to one child? Should the other kids still be able to live in the house with her? 
    My Opinion: 
    I think she should be charged with a lot more than just one count, and on top of those charges she could be charged with so many other things. The mother could be charged with child endangerment, attempted murder, more than one count of child abuse, and truancy. I do not think only one count of child abuse is enough or even serving justice for what this child has been through.
                       
    I don't know why she only did this to one child. Maybe she just likes the other two better, maybe the boy disobeyed, or maybe she has mental issues. Either way, doing this to your child or any child in general is ridiculous. I do not think the other kids should still be able to live in the house with her. She could end up doing the exact same thing to them as well. I hope he either goes to stay with a relative like his dad or is able to find a good home through foster homes/adoption. I hope justice is served. 

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    Replies

    • Great job Tara!

    • I think she should be charged with a lot more then just one count of child abuse. I don't think she should be able to have the other kids live with her. 

      • I agree, this mother probably has a mental disorder, but even so this is uncalled for and not okay. Even though the other kids are fine, they should have to live with someone else because she might do this too those kids too. It is not healthy to be 30 pounds when your 12, at all. I hope she has to serve time in jail because this is awful.

    • I believe that she should be charged with a lot more then just one count of child abuse. I have no idea why she would just single out one of her children to do this to. Her other kids should not be able to live with her anymore, because if she was capable to do this to one of her children then she could do it to one of her other children, so i think that they need to go live with someone else who will take good care of them.

      • I agree they need to go live with someone else. This is unacceptable. I don't understand how someone could do such a terrible thing. Let alone pick one of her of kids to do it to. I don't understand why she singled him out or why she did this at all. She needs to be charged with a lot more. 

    • I think this mother is sick and should be charged with more then one felony, I am not sure why she would do this and I feel the other children should have done something.

      • I defiently agree the mother probably has some mental sickness going on. She should be charged with more than one felony (even if she is sick) because this almost killed her child. I think the other children should have helped. I mean how can you just not realize your brother is in the bathroom for a year? Why couldn't they call their dad? Why didn't the teachers notice the child wasn't going to school or did she tell the school she was homeschooling him? There are just things that don't make sense. 

    • I think one charge is not enough, I mean a year locked in a bathroom?! That's just not right I agree with the other charges of child endangerment, attempted murder, truancy, and lots of counts of child abuse. I don't know why she only did that to one kid. Maybe she has mental issues, maybe she has favoritism for the other two kids, and the other kid was like her personal 'punching bag', if you will. I seriously think that the other two kids should stay with a relative, and not ho into foster care, because the same thing could happen to them if they are placed in the wrong hands.

      • I agree. They should definetly live with a relative if, at all, possible especially if it's their father. I think doing this to your own child is uncalled for, but only doing this to one child is even worse. Either way it's not okay and I believe she need to be charged with a lot more. 

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