The mother and stepfather of a 21-year-old man with a genetic disability that prevents him from speaking are accused of beating, binding and caging him.
News outlets report 40-year-old Christina Boyles and 39-year-old Herbert Boyles, of Parkersburg, West Virginia, were arrested and charged Tuesday with abuse and neglect of an incapacitated adult.
A Parkersburg Police Department release says officers investigating reports of abuse last month found the son malnourished with wounds from restraints.
Christina Boyles, 40, and 39-year-old Herbert Boyles, of Parkersburg, West Virginia, were arrested Tuesday for abuse and neglect of an incapacitated adult
They had initially gone in for a welfare check but found the man covered in dried blood and wearing a feces filled diaper.
According to Parkersburg Police Chief Joseph Martin, the victim is said to have extreme autism and can not form sentences when he speaks, WTAP reports.
He was said to have been so malnourished that responders couldn’t find a pulse or vein to start an IV for him.
The victim was malnourished, found with a feces filled diaper, had sores on his face and genitals from chemicals that were sprayed on him and covered in dried blood
According to Parkersburg Police Chief Joseph Martin, Christina’s son is said to have extreme autism and can not form sentences when he speaks
A criminal complaint says he also had cysts on his pelvic area, possibly from lying on a hard surface for a while, and sores on other parts of his body. It says the victim’s adult brother told authorities his brother was starved, bound, caged and sprayed all over his body with chemicals.
He was said to have sores on his face and genitals from where he was sprayed.
‘We don’t see a ton of these kinds of cases but when we do, its, I’ve personally never seen one of this level where they were keeping him basically in a dog kennel, tied up with ropes and just unthinkable things, especially for an autistic person to have to live through,’ Martin said. ‘So you know it’s not common that we see these kind of cases.’
The man is currently at Ruby Memorial Hospital receiving treatment.
Adult Protective Services is currently looking for a place to send him.
It’s unclear if the Boyles have lawyers.