9-year-old weighed just 30 pounds in ‘insidious’ abuse case, Ohio officials say
Three young children are in the hospital, and one is on life support, after officials say they were abused in Ohio in what was called an “insidious” case of mistreatment.
A 32-year-old woman and her 34-year-old boyfriend were each charged with three counts of endangering children and felonious assault on Sept. 23, court records show.
McClatchy News is not naming the couple to protect the identity of the children.
On Sept. 13, the woman called police and reported a child was not breathing, according to WKRC. A 9-year-old boy had to be resuscitated before being taken to a hospital, the outlet reported.
The boy was found to have a temperature of 80 degrees and weighed 30 pounds, WLWT reported. His two siblings were also in the home, an 8-year-old who weighed 23 pounds and a 6-year-old who weighed 22 pounds, according to the outlet.
All three children were malnourished and hospitalized, and the 9-year-old is now on life support, according to WLWT.
Authorities searched the couple’s home and found “multiple items of evidentiary value, including bungee cords, a belt, and soiled towels observed inside a vehicle registered to (the woman),” an affidavit said, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
“This appears to be one of the most insidious examples of child abuse that I’ve seen in 25 years,” a Hamilton County prosecuting attorney said in court, WLWT reported.
Court records say the woman has had custody of the boy since 2020, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. She told authorities she “was preoccupied with another child the day of the incident,” the outlet reported.
Both the woman and her boyfriend were given a $600,000 bond.
