Tammi Bleimeyer, 37, was sentenced to 28 years in prison after she starved her diaper-clad five-year-old stepson and forced him to sleep in a tiny closet
A mother-of-seven has been sentenced to 28 years in prison after she starved her five-year-old stepson, forced him to wear a diaper, and made him sleep in a tiny closet.
Tammi Bleimeyer, 37, was found guilty of injury to a child by omission on Friday after forcing Jordan Bleimeyer, now nine, to sleep in what the family called the ‘Harry Potter room’.
The tiny crawlspace, which was located under the stairs, had exposed nails and wiring surrounding the lone mattress.
Doctors said Jordan, who only weighed 29 pounds at the time, had nearly starved to death. They compared his state of malnourishment to a Holocaust survivor.
Bradley Bleimeyer, Jordan’s father, pleaded guilty to the same charge in 2016 and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The horrific case first came to light in March 2014 when Bleimeyer’s son, who was 16 at the time, reported her to authorities.
Bleimeyer broke down in court after her sentencing. She was found guilty of injury to a child by omission on Friday
Bleimeyer forced her stepson Jordan Bleimeyer to sleep in what the family called the ‘Harry Potter room’. He weighed only 29 pounds when he was rescued by police (pictured)
Jordan was covered in bumps and bruises and severely underweight. Doctors compared his state of malnourishment to a Holocaust survivor
He said Jordan was being abused by his mother and 24-year-old stepfather, claiming the boy was forced to wear a diaper and sleep in a tiny closet under the stairs.
But Bleimeyer, who was six months pregnant at the time, took Jordan from the home and refused to return when police showed up.
Investigators then used cell phone records to track her to a nearby motel, where they found Jordan with Bleimeyer, according to KTRK.
Jordan was found covered in bumps and bruises and severely underweight.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where a pediatrician said he had suffered ‘severe physical abuse and habitual starvation’.
Prosecutors later revealed that Jordan was only fed a slice of bread a day, which was snatched out of his hand if he didn’t eat it fast enough
Jordan was rushed to the hospital after he was rescued from the motel where Bleimeyer took him to after her 16-year-old son reported her to the police
Doctors said the boy could have died within days if he had not been rescued.
Prosecutors later revealed that Jordan was not allowed to eat at the dinner table with his siblings – who were all Bleimeyer’s children. He was only given a slice of bread to eat a day, which would be taken away if he didn’t eat it quickly enough.
The boy was also allegedly drugged by his father to keep him quiet when guests were over.
Jordan’s 16-year-old stepbrother also told authorities he believed someone had slammed his head into the wall and even stunned him with a Taser.
Bleimeyer’s teenage son said both she and her husband Bradley Bleimeyer, Jordan’s father, were abusing Jordan. Bradley was sentenced to 15 years in prison
Officials said Jordan’s health declined rapidly after Child Protective Services visited the Bleimeyer home (pictured) in February 2014
Officials said Jordan’s health declined rapidly after Child Protective Services visited the Bleimeyer home in February 2014, according to the Houston Chronicle.
CPS had been investigating the family that year and were called to the home several times.
Bleimeyer was arrested and charged in February 2015. She was sentenced on Monday following 10 days of testimony.
She broke down in the Harris County Courthouse in Spring, Texas after the verdict was read and two of her biological sons took the stand.
Bleimeyer broke down in the Harris County Courthouse in Spring, Texas after the verdict was read and two of her biological sons took the stand.
‘It’s no mystery why we’re all here,’ one of the sons said in a prepared statement. ‘You made a big mistake, and ultimately have to face the consequences.’
‘I’m up here to ask a rhetorical question of how, how could you put your children through all that? The people who should be your pride and joy.’
‘You caused me feelings of sadness, anger, confusion, and emptiness. I can’t say that I’ll ever be the same emotionally because of this.’
Jordan has since been reunited with his biological mother Wendy Hall and CPS took custody of Bleimeyer’s other children. Her newborn was given to foster care.