A Michigan father and stepmother are accused of abusing and nearly starving two young boys while allegedly keeping them confined to their bedroom for most of the time.
Arturo Bazan-Perez and Dulce Crystal Bazan Castillo have been arrested and charged with two counts each of first-degree child abuse and two counts each of torture. Both charges carry potential sentences of up to life in a state correctional facility.
According to a news release from the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation began after a 9-year-old boy went into cardiac arrest due to severe malnutrition and was taken to Trinity Hospital in Pontiac, about 25 miles northwest of Detroit.
Doctors reported that the child, who weighed only 33 pounds, was in liver failure and had multiple injuries on his body that were described as consistent with physical abuse. He arrived at the hospital without a pulse and was in such critical condition that he had to be airlifted to another facility for specialized treatment, Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ reported.
The boy’s 11-year-old brother was also taken to the hospital and was described as “severely malnourished,” weighing just 43 pounds.
Prosecutors said the victims are the biological children of Bazan-Perez. In interviews, the boys allegedly said they were given less food than their two younger siblings, who are the biological children of both Bazan-Perez and Bazan Castillo. The older boys had reportedly been withdrawn from school in September after the family told school staff they were moving.
The younger children — a 1-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl — were also living in the home but appeared healthy, officials said.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told Bay City CBS affiliate WNEM that he had previously supported legislation he believes might have helped protect children in situations like this, particularly after they are taken out of school.
“The child abuse cases we are seeing right now are nothing short of heartbreaking and enraging,” he said. “In this case especially, the suffering these children endured might have been stopped sooner had the legislation I called on the Legislature to pass been enacted — a simple, common-sense safeguard that would prevent a child from being unenrolled from school without verified confirmation of their safety and status elsewhere. No child should ever fall through the cracks like this. We will not rest until those responsible are held fully and unequivocally accountable.”
Authorities said school officials likely knew the boys were struggling at home, as they had been caught digging through school garbage cans for food on multiple occasions, WXYZ reported. When staff sent food home with them, the parents allegedly responded by sewing the boys’ pockets shut. Investigators say the parents then took away the boys’ backpacks after discovering they were trying to hide food in the linings.
Inside the home, officials said the windows in the boys’ room had been screwed shut so they could not be opened, and the glass had been painted over so the children could not see outside.
“It’s unconscionable that anyone, let alone parents, would willfully starve children,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald said in a statement announcing the charges. “The allegations in this case are horrifying. My thoughts right now are with these children and the caregivers working to help them recover from what appears to be a nightmare situation.”
Detroit Fox affiliate WJBK reported that both boys were in stable condition as of Tuesday.
Court records show that Bazan-Perez and Bazan Castillo are scheduled for a probable cause hearing on Dec. 4.
