Posted on 09/25/2004 8:38:13 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants
A 15-year-old’s weight dwindled to only 49 pounds while he was allegedly kept chained to a bed – often wearing only a diaper – as punishment for being a “troublemaker,” resulting in charges against his father and stepmother.
Lebanon police made the shocking discovery of the badly malnourished teenager while responding to a request from the state Department of Children Services about a possible case of abuse and neglect, authorities said.
“It’s the worst case of child abuse or neglect that most of us have seen,” Lebanon Police Chief Scott Bowen remarked.
Abuse and neglect charges have been filed against stepmother Christie H. Osborne, 28, and the child’s biological father, James C. Osborne III, 42, of 606 Wilson Ave. The youth was treated at a local hospital before being placed in foster care, Bowen said.
“You just wouldn’t believe it,” the police chief said. “It was just beyond words. It was almost unbelievable.”
He said three other children in the home ages 8, 6 and 5 – Christie Osborne’s biological children – were “found to be well taken care of” but that all are in temporary state custody.
“Her statement to us was that her stepson was a troublemaker and that’s what all this is about,” Bowen said.
He said the child’s father gave investigators a statement basically saying the youth was kept chained throughout the day while he and his wife were away at work.
“The father said he would get home before his wife, unchain him long enough to let him go to the bathroom, then chain him back up before his wife got home,” Bowen said.
He said an investigation headed by Det. Scott Massey and Det. Chris Melvin has resulted in the seizure of several pieces of physical evidence from the home, including the “chains and locks” used to shackle the child.
“It’s our understanding the victim was kept chained to a bed railing in the father and stepmother’s bedroom,” Bowen said. “Most of the time they made him wear a diaper or remain nude and he was given only a mat to sleep on.”
He said the investigation into the allegations has indicated that the mat was taken away and the child “forced to sleep on the hardwood floors whenever he soiled it.”
“It’s as sad and tragic of a situation as you can imagine,” Bowen said. “Actually I’m not even sure anybody can imagine it. You just about have to see it with your own eyes.”
He said that other than his weakened, malnourished condition, the youth seemed to be physically unharmed.
“The malnourishment was what stood out more than any bruises or physical injuries,” Bowen said.
The youth “gave investigators a statement” but police are keeping it under wraps, Bowen said.
“Let’s just say that basically he told us what happened to him,” the police chief said.
He said the youth “ate four plates of food” as soon as he was taken from the home by officers, who stopped to buy the child even more food en route to the hospital.
“Obviously he was starving. Every expert we’ve talked to has said a 15-year-old ought to at least be up around 120 pound or so. It was just the saddest thing you can imagine,” Bowen said.
Bowen said the youth was dressed in pants and a turtleneck shirt when his parents finally answered the door several long moments after police arrived.
“It took them a long time to come to the door, and then right away our investigators noticed he was in a turtleneck. Who wears one of those when its 80 degrees outside?” Bowen remarked. “We believe they had him chained and probably in a diaper or nude then, but got him dressed before anybody answered the door.”
The couple was booked at the Wilson County Jail and both were expected to be released on bond, officials said.
Bowen said the investigation into the alleged abuse would continue, with officers planning to focus on when the victim last attended school.
“That’s something we’re very anxious to find out. There’s still a lot of things we hope to clear up over the next few days,” Bowen remarked. “Right now we’re just grateful to know the child is no longer being forced to live like that. It was just horrible.”
Senior Staff Writer Brooks Franklin can be reached at 444-3952 ext. 14 or by e-mail at brooks.franklin@lebanondemocrat.com.
This is a horrible thing....even for a teenager.
I cannot even begin to say what I think about these kind of people, pure evil :(
Their punishment should fit the crime. But it won't.
Lock the animals up FOREVER. It won't happen of course, but they treated another human being worse than you would treat a dog and they don't deserve to ever see the outside of a prison.
It's just surreal. I just can't understand it. Who could do this to any human being much less a father.
My father in law and I were just talking about this, this kid is going to need alot of help. But as for the parents, cant shoot them, cant live with them free. My thoughts is bread and water in solitary. I cannot understand a father doing this to his son, I dont care what the cause. If you cant handle a kid put them up for adoption, or foster care.
Solitary? Let dad out into the general population.
He'll be a girlfriend in no time.
Was this child retarded? It just seems to me that a 15-year-old could figure out some kind of escape plan.
Did you hear of this?
Wow. Bless his heart. I hope he can find a family to really love him and take good care of him.
I have no idea. Probably beaten into submission.
Thats proubly true. Can you even think of what the guys that worked with this thing want to do to him. Let alone the mrs, she would make Frankinsteins bride look like a catch.
sick, sick society we live in.
I wonder why no one noticed that the child wasn't in school.
Take these two adults and chain them up because of the inhumanity they displayed towards this child. Give these horrible people a dose of their own medicine.
Maybe I'm incorrect, but I thought it was not a good idea to give a starving person a lot of food at once. I could be remembering incorrectly, but I thought some of the Jewish survivors of the Holocaust died when the liberators gave them too much food--their bodies couldn't handle it.
Bad headline. Should be, "Police: Parents Chain Starve Boy."
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