The boy was wandering down the street—shoeless, pale, and seemingly confused. He was 10 but weighed only as much as the average 4-year-old. He was hungry and wanted to go to Kroger’s to get food.
Police were summoned and the boy pleaded with them to “please not make him go back.”
Authorities quickly discovered that the child lived at an upscale home down the street in Griffin, Georgia. Now his parents are under arrest, accused of keeping him locked up, without food or water for long stretches, over a three-year period.
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“This case is disturbing. It’s heart-breaking,” Griffin District Attorney Marie Broder said. “This child was, simply put, being starved to death, and it is tragic.
“I truly believe that if he had not gotten out of that home, this would be a very different case.”
Tyler Schindley, 46, and Krista Schindley, 47, are charged with attempted homicide, cruelty to children, false imprisonment, and simple battery.
The 1o-year-old was severely malnourished—he weighed just 36 pounds—and his heart rate was dangerously low. Police said he had “discolored skin and visible injuries.”
The couple’s other five children—who were homeschooled—were taken by child welfare authorities. At a Tuesday press conference, police said they had not been able to interview them yet.
“I mean, as a mother, I can’t comprehend it,” Broder said. “But as a human being, it breaks your heart. We aren’t releasing any photos of this child for obvious reasons. But I will tell you, the photos are absolutely horrible. And anyone with a human heart who looks at them should be shaken to the core.”
Kim Seigler, the next door neighbor, called the situation “horrible.”
“It makes me wonder if I should have been more observant,” she told Fox5 Atlanta.
Tyler Schindley’s Facebook page listed him as managing an Under Armour store but recent posts promoted a local spa that appears to be owned by his wife.
