Police: Alabama Couple Kept Malnourished Teen In Basement For Two Years


An Alabama couple has been arrested after authorities say they kept a teenage boy in their basement for approximately two years. KFVS News reports that Cynthia and Richard Kelly have been given a variety of charges in association with the shocking allegations against them.

Police in Helena say they received a call of possible abuse and neglect on Sunday, which led them to the home of the married couple. What they discovered in the residence was something shocking. Police say the Alabama couple had been keeping their 14-year-old adopted son in their basement, where he had been horribly neglected.

WVTM News reports that the 14-year-old child was found in “grave condition,” weighing just a shocking 55-lbs. There are few details being released that further clarify the condition of the Alabama teen, but it is known that he is currently receiving care at an area hospital. Meanwhile, authorities say that the child had not been enrolled in any public schools. Neighbors of the Alabama family say that they often saw the teen mowing the family yard during the summertime. However, they didn’t believe he was any older than eight or nine-years-old.

This isn’t the first time a shocking case of undernourishment and neglect of a child has made media headlines. In 2014, an Indiana couple was arrested when police discovered they had locked their 15-year-old granddaughter in a room for years. The teenage girl weighed a shocking 40-lbs. when authorities reportedly rescued her from the home where she had been confined.

In 2015, Police in Louisiana discovered a 15-year-old child weighing only 47-lbs., in a home that was reportedly roach-infested and filthy. Police claim that the mother was outside smoking crack with another person at the time of the discovery.

This year, a Colorado couple was arrested, after authorities found that their legally-blind teenage son weighed only 88-lbs. Police allege that David and Vanessa Hall were neglecting the autistic teen. 9 News reports that the father of the malnourished teenager admits that they had fed him a diet of only junk food and soft drinks. The man claimed to authorities that the teen is a “picky eater,” and refused to eat anything other than snack foods — such as Doritos, Cheetos, and Cheez-Its. Police say that the teen’s diet made up of only around 500 calories per day.

Also this year, an Indiana couple was arrested, after authorities found that their 12-year-old child weighed only 23-lbs. WISH-TV News reports that Jay and Tabitha Rupert are accused of neglect in association with the shocking incident. The child was reportedly diagnosed with a condition, from birth, which rendered her in need of constant care. When she was admitted to the hospital this year, she was diagnosed with “failure to thrive,” which is a term used to describe insufficient weight gain or loss.

As for this latest case, police have charged the Alabama couple with aggravated child abuse. Both Richard and Cynthia Kelly are currently being held in jail on bond of $1 million, each. Meanwhile, the 14-year-old child taken from their care is listed as being in “critical condition.”

[Featured Image via Shelby County Sheriff’s Office]

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