When authorities arrived, the youth allegedly said he was going to the store to buy food because he was hungry and asked them “don’t bring him back”.
The young patient was sent to a nearby hospital where, according to police, he was stabilized before being transferred to another facility for further care. The ensuing investigation led to the arrest of the child’s parents, Tyler and Krista Schindley, hours later.
The charges against the parents include attempted murder and first-degree child cruelty because they “deliberately withheld food from the minor for a long period of time”, which caused the youngster “bodily and emotional agony cruel and serious”. Warrants said it resulted in “dental damage and disfigurement”, for which they refused medical treatment.
The parents “locked the minor child in his room, leaving the child alone in the residence, for long periods and on several occasions, without access to light, food, clothing or interaction and/ or with the assistance of an adult”, according to the mandate. They also denied the child access to “hot or lukewarm running water, outside view, toilet paper, electronic communication, human interaction, adult supervision, or egress.”
Police were investigating the family history, Spalding County District Attorney Marie Broder said at a May 16 news conference. Broder checked that there were four other siblings living there, but they didn’t seem hurt. The youngsters were home-schooled, according to Broder.
11Alive crews observed Krista’s 20-year-old son Ethan Washburn move various personal effects from their home into his car, which had Tennessee license plates, on the night of the parents’ arrest. He firmly refused to answer any questions.
According to documents, Washburn was arrested June 6 on two counts of aggravated assault in the same abuse case involving his 10-year-old half-brother and sent to the Spalding County Detention Center.
According to Washburn’s arrest warrants, he punched his “autistic half-brother” in the “body, head and face” during the alleged incident. According to the warrants, the attack occurred “frequently”.
Another warrant states that “the defendant strangled his half-brother, using both hands wrapping them around his neck”.
Along with his mother Krista and stepfather Tyler Schindley, Washburn, a resident of Franklin, Tennessee, is being held without bail.
There have been no recent updates from Griffin Police on the 10-year-old’s health. Police said their investigation was continuing on Monday evening.