Couple Arrested on Charges of Allegedly Assaulting 5-Year-Old Boy, Forcing Him to Eat His Own Feces

A Pennsylvania couple stands accused of torturing a 5-year-old boy and forcing him to eat his own feces.

On Monday, Aug. 4, the Westmoreland County and District Attorney’s Office announced in a press release that Charles Smitley, 29, and Colleen Cassidy, 29, both from Monessen, are facing multiple child abuse charges.

The child is reportedly Smitley’s son, and Cassidy is his girlfriend, according to CBS News.

“A Monessen couple is facing charges after police said a young boy was left with relatives and appeared to be emaciated and covered in bruises,” the district attorney’s office stated.

The couple faces charges including endangering the welfare of children, unlawful restraint, and simple assault.

After an unnamed relative became the child’s guardian in April, concerns arose when the child appeared “dirty, unhygienic and hungry,” the family member reported.

The relative, reportedly the child’s grandfather and Smitley’s father, shared these observations with authorities, per CBS News.

According to the relative, the child showed signs of pain, with bruises on his legs and buttocks.

“The relative took the victim to a local emergency room for evaluation where he was admitted to a pediatric unit for further evaluation and treatment,” officials said. “Healthcare workers said the boy appeared to be emaciated and had not eaten for a period of time.”

Hospital staff informed police that the bruises on the boy’s buttocks suggested he had been “seated for an extended time.”

“The victim allegedly told workers that he was struck with a paddle and tied to a chair,” authorities added. “During a forensic interview, the victim allegedly disclosed that he was spanked with a paddle by Cassidy and Smitley, forced to eat his own feces, and went days without eating.”

Monessen Police Lt. Aaron Thompson said the boy reported “that he had been tied down in a chair previously by his father’s girlfriend,” according to CBS News.

The child also said he was “forced to sleep on a bathroom floor in the basement without blankets or pillows.”

“Another child who resided with Smitley and Cassidy allegedly corroborated the victim’s claims of abuse to forensic interviewers but denied any abuse toward him,” the release stated.

This other child is reportedly Cassidy’s 11-year-old son, per CBS News.

He said he once found the 5-year-old “in a closet with his hands taped together with duct tape.”

Both children have been removed from the residence and are reportedly in good condition, CBS News reported.

Neighbor Katherine Secleter told the outlet she was unaware that children lived in the home.

“My heart celebrates that bad people are off the street, but it aches for those kids,” she said.

“Smitley and Cassidy were arraigned and remanded to the Westmoreland County Prison after failing to post bail,” the district attorney’s office confirmed.

Cassidy and Smitley remain held on $100,000 and $250,000 bail, respectively, with preliminary hearings scheduled for Aug. 22, according to CBS News.