Griffin starvation case: Arrest warrant outlines horrifying conditions of child's home life
GRIFFIN, Ga. - Arrest warrants for a Griffin mother and father accused of trying to starve their 10-year-old son to death detail the reportedly disturbing conditions the boy lived in.
In the copies of the Schindley's arrest warrants obtained by FOX 5, prosecutors allege that couple locked their son in his room for extended periods of time with no lights or even clothes at their home in Griffin.
The charges come after police say a neighbor found the boy wandering on Westminster Circle. He is 10 years old, but only weighed 36 pounds. According to investigators, the boy told officers he was walking to a nearby Kroger and asked them to "please not make him go back."
"We thought he was 6 or 7," said Matt Siegler, a neighbor. "It’s enough to break your heart."
The warrants also state the couple was aware their son had dental injuries and disfiguration, but did not provide medical treatment. According to the warrants, the couple inflicted abuse against the boy with other children present.
(Spalding County Sheriff's Office)
The district attorney on Tuesday said the boy was so badly malnourished it’s one of the worst cases of child abuse she has seen.
"As a mother, I can't comprehend it. As a human being, it breaks your heart. We aren't releasing any photos of this child for obvious reasons, but I will tell you, the photos are absolutely horrible, and anybody with a human heart, who looks at them, should be shaken to their core," DA Marie Broder revealed.
The child was rushed to the hospital to begin treated for malnutrition and a low heart rate.
The DA believes the neighbor saved the child's life.
"It is my true belief that had he not gotten out of the home, this case would be a very different one," Broder said.
Neighbors say the parents often left their older children home for days while they vacationed.
"It’s just a terrible situation. Anybody who does that to a child, I hope they get their due punishment," neighbor Kim Seigler said.
The four other children found inside the couple's home are now in Georgia Division of Family and Children Services custody.
The boy is reported to be recovering and is now stable.