Pitcairn woman charged after adult son with autism found naked in closet: "Horrific scene"

False imprisonment and felony charges have been filed against a Pitcairn woman after police said her 35-year-old son, who is autistic, was found in poor health, huddled naked inside a closet in her filthy home. 

Bonnie Schutzer initially hid from officers who'd entered her home to serve a search warrant, according to the criminal complaint. She's also charged with both neglect and abuse of care for a dependent person.

Her son, who is not named in the complaint, is non-verbal, partially blind and deaf, according to the complaint. 

"I believe my officers have witnessed a horrific scene today," said Pitcairn Chief Scott Farally. "Officers found very, very deplorable living conditions."

Farally said there was feces and urine on the floor of the home. At the time, officers were unsure whether it was human or animal. The home itself was visibly falling apart, with debris around the home. 

Police had originally been called to the home for reports of dogs in poor health. They obtained a search warrant after speaking with neighbors and hearing screaming from inside the house, Farally said. 

Inside, they found 18 dogs. Farally said Schutzer's emaciated son was found in a closet estimated to be around 6 feet by 6 feet.

"There is indicative signs that they may have lived inside that closet," Farally said.

At the time KDKA spoke with Farally, which was before charges were filed, he said they were not yet sure if the man had been allowed to leave the closet.

"I've been here, next month will be 10 years, and I haven't seen him in about that long," said Chantai Howard, who lives across the street from the home on Jewell Way. 

"You could hear him making noises, that's about it, and you could hear them yelling at him," Howard said. "You could hear banging."

Her security camera captured Schutzer in handcuffs being brought to a police car. Officers can be heard mentioning the closet and how her son was naked. 

Asked what she thought about Schutzer being behind bars, Howard said that it was "about time."

She added Schutzer's boyfriend, who spends time at the house, was not there at the time of the search warrant. When KDKA talked to the chief, he wasn't sure where he was. 

"I know that's her son and she should've been taking care of him, but I don't think she's the only person that needs to pay," Howard said. 

According to the complaint, the son had trouble walking and had poor control of his arms. 

"Once they exited the house with [the son], he reached for the ground and grabbed a handful of dirt, then placed the dirt into his mouth due to his level of hunger," the complaint said. 

The home is now considered unsafe for occupancy. The Allegheny County Police Department is now handling most of the investigation. 

Farally said working the scene has been tough on his officers. 

"Things like this, we see things every day in law enforcement," Farally said. "But we have an autistic intellectual man that can't fend for himself, and to go there and have to remove him from the residence and take him, just lets you know what the officers see every day and it's just, it's sad."