Mother allegedly locked emaciated boy in bathroom for 2 years
TOQUERVILLE, Utah — A Utah woman has been arrested for aggravated child abuse after her 12-year-old son was found locked in a bathroom, allegedly kept there for as long as two years, reports CBS affiliate KUTV.
Police say the extremely malnourished boy was found Sunday by his father. He weighed only 30 pounds and was unable to stand on his own.
Detectives said the boy was likely kept in the dark because the light switches were covered and wrapped heavily with duct tape to prevent the light switch from being turned on.
“A baby monitor was set up so voices could come in but not out. So they could give instructions to the child that was in the room,” said Washington County Sheriff’s Lt. David Crouse.
“It would be my definition of a torture room,” Crouse said. “There was fecal matter and urine on the floor, there was open cans of food, like can of beans with a spoon in it; there was also a video camera that was capable of wifi monitoring,” Crouse said.
Two other children were also found living in the home with the boy’s mother, 36-year-old Brandy Jaynes, but they were healthy, according to Crouse. They said they hadn’t spoken to their brother through the door in six months, Crouse said. He declined to give their ages, but said one was old enough to understand things.
Jaynes was charged Monday with felony child abuse.
The probable cause statement shows the mother told detectives her son chose to sleep and stay in the bathroom. She says she would occasionally lock him in the bathroom for his own safety when she left the house.
The statement says the mother said she was trying to feed her son protein shakes to increase his weight.
She is being held on $20,000 bail, and expected to be back in court on Jan. 17.
