Missouri man accused of abusing 3 kids, locking them in bathroom with metal bars, police say

A Missouri man accused of beating, starving and locking three children in a bathroom was arrested and charged this week after a relative discovered bruises on the children and took them to a hospital.

The Pettis County prosecuting attorney’s office charged James L. Hays Jr., 48, on Tuesday with three felony counts of child abuse or neglect.

The investigation into the alleged abuse started July 23 when police were called to a hospital in Sedalia. A relative who met officers there said she noticed large bruises on the children and suspected Hays might have been involved.

Days later, authorities interviewed the three children. All are under the age of 12.

One of the children in the interview said Hays would “kick them, make them do punishments and drown them” when their mother wasn’t home, court records said.

Another child also referred to multiple times when Hays allegedly spanked them with a belt, bruising their bottom and the back of their thighs.

The children also referred to incidents when Hays would allegedly take food away from them, wouldn’t let them eat or would force them to do certain things as punishment.

In one instance, one of the children said Hays made her eat hot peppers while he poured water over her head, court records said.

In another incident, one of the children said Hays locked her in a bathroom closet and once made her and her siblings eat parts of shoes.

The children said they were forced to stay inside the bathroom where they slept either in the closet or in the bath tub each night, court records said.

One child said their mother tried sneaking food to them and getting them out of the bathroom, but court records say Hays wouldn’t let her.

Hays allegedly used two metal bars to lock them in the bathroom, the children told authorities.

One of the bars was described as being red with “Neo-Nazi SS bolts” on it, court records said. The child said the other bar was black with the last name “Hays” written on it.

Police arrested Hays and searched the Sedalia home on Monday.

Court records said officers found the black metal bar with the name “Hays” and the red metal bar with the “SS” bolts. They also found items the children described as being used to beat them or strike them, court records said, including “a belt with metal pointy objects on it, a belt with multiple eyelets (rings) throughout it and a long rifle (Airsoft) gun with green plastic (BBs).”

Authorities also found a bathroom closet with blankets and pillows inside. They noted that the door frame of the bathroom didn’t have the brackets holding the metal bars but added that it appeared the brackets were recently removed. Court records said police found the brackets in a toolbox in the living room, and that the brackets aligned with the screw holes on the bathroom door frame.

Hays remains in the county jail with bail set at $1 million.

An arraignment was scheduled for Thursday.

An attorney has not been listed for Hays, according to online court records.

This story was originally published August 2, 2018 at 3:18 PM.