A five-year boy from Spring, Texas was locked in a closet by his father and stepmother, who beat him, forced him to wear a diaper and starved him nearly to death, according to police.
In what authorities are calling a horrific case of abuse, the child was so underweight his bones were sticking through his skin in some places. The boy’s father, Bradley Bleimeyer, 24, and stepmother Tammi Bleimeyer, 33, were arrested and charged with child endangerment on Friday.
It was the boy’s teenage stepbrother who informed police of the abuse. Police were called to the home on Thursday because the teenager was in a fist fight with Bleimeyer, reportedly over the condition of the young boy. When police arrived, the teen told them about the abuse that was occurring.
According to KHOU, that’s when the couple tried to flee with the young boy.
By the time officers arrived, they said the victim’s stepmother [Bleimeyer ]and biological father took off with the little boy. On Friday, deputies used cell phone data to track down the couple at a motel located in the 9700 block of W FM 1960 Bypass in Humble. The 5-year-old victim’s appearance caused deputies to immediately summon Emergency Service personnel and he was transported to a hospital in Humble, deputies said.
Deputies immediately arrested both Bradley Bleimeyer and Tammi Bleimeyer at the motel. Both were charged with felony child endangerment, and booked into the Harris County Jail. The father is in jail with no bond, and the victim’s stepmother’s bond was set at $2,000.
“He was severely under nourished, bone sticking out, bumps, bruises. His skin was coming off on his back. It’s a horrific horrific situation,” said Harris County Constable Precinct 4 Assistant Chief Mark Herman in an interview with KHOU.
Herman told reporters he had never seen such a case of abuse in his entire career. The boy is in the custody of Children’s Protective Services but is expected to remain hospitalized for weeks.
KHOU caught up with the boy’s stepmother, picking up her kids (she has five in total and is currently pregnant) from school. She told their news crew the story was not true.
If all that’s not enough to chill you to your bones, CPS is currently trying to track down the boy’s stepbrothers and sisters:
There are six of them, ages one to 16. Authorities want to make sure they are OK.
Screencap via KHOU.
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