Couple Kept Teen Locked In Attic For Four Years
A Michigan couple kept a teen locked in an attic for four years according to authorities. Susan Marie Bardo, age 46, and Carl James Pellinen, age 47, have each been charged with three felonies. Bardo’s 15-year-old son was reportedly kept locked in the attic and tortured both physically and sexually.
Public safety officers in Escanaba were alerted to the situation when a relative requested help in locating the teen. When the officers searched the home they were horrified to find the 15-year-old locked in an attic room.
As reported by Fox News, the teen was found in an 8? x 10? room. The walls and floors had been covered in tarps, which were stapled down. The teen’s mother and her boyfriend provided him with a space heater, but little else. Authorities report that the boy was allowed to sit on the attic stairs to eat, occasionally, but was never allowed downstairs.
As reported by Upper Michigan Source, Escanaba Public Safety Capt. Jamie Segorski stated that the boy appeared frightened and nervous. The 15-year-old was taken to OSF St. Francis Hospital, where he remains for treatment.
Bardo and Pellinen are both being held in the Delta County Jail on $50,000 bond each. They have been charged with felony charges of child abuse, criminal sexual conduct, and torture, for what they did to the teen while he was locked in the attic for four years.
Neighbors state that they were not aware that the boy lived with the couple. Neighbor John Douros states that he spoke with the couple and they always seemed friendly. When he questioned them about their son they always said he was living out of town with his father.
Authorities haven’t had any luck locating the boy’s biological father. They ask anyone with information about the family or the boy to contact the Escabana Department of Public Safety at (906) 786-5911.
The teen was interviewed briefly, but officers want to give him some time to recover before they try to interview him again. The boy is still suffering from being locked in the attic for four years.
[Image via deviantArt]
