The boy, described by his mother as retarded(developmentally delayed), was only allowed out to take care of the family's ducks, to clean and to eat, police say. He ate only about four times a week.
Authorities appear to have missed numerous chances to intervene despite visiting the address numerous times; they really could've cared less.
Charged: Amanda Joliff was jailed on Friday, accused of keeping her 14 year old son locked up in a filthy trailer for three years
Police visited the home at least three times since 2007 but, incredibly, failed to notice that anything was wrong. The boy's mother Amanda Joliff, her boyfriend Richard Smith and the boy's sister had kept him locked in the room since early 2008, he told police.
The child was found on September 27, hiding under a neighbour's porch, while his mother and her boyfriend took a trip to New York.
Police described desperate scenes inside the trailer. The child's room was filled with junk and had a soiled mattress with no sheets. The only window was boarded up and there appeared to be a leak in the ceiling, police said.
Mice had eaten through boxes of pasta which were his main source of sustenance.
Two dogs, six birds including two ducks, and four toads lived inside the trailer, and another dog lived outside.
The home reeked of animal urine and faeces, police said.
Joliff claimed that the lock on the plywood door to the boy's room was originally installed because he had once run away. But she admitted to locking him up when she got upset with him or when he was in trouble, police said.
The boy and his sister stayed at home with their 'father' while their mother was in New York, a neighbour told police.
Boyfriend: Richard Smith and his girlfriend, Amanda Joliff face false imprisonment, child abuse and neglect charges after Joliff's 14-year-old son was found hiding under a neighbour's porch
His father and sister decided to move out of the trailer on September 27 but told him he would have to wait another day to leave, the boy said. They gave him $5 to find a place to stay and he crawled underneath a neighbour's porch to sleep, too afraid to ask for help, he said. Police acknowledged Friday that they previously had visited the home but had seen no signs of abuse.
They believed the family was just poor white trash and left. Police were first called to the address in February 2007 after the family's dog bit a boy.
A male child who lived at the home showed up at a bar to listen to country western music in August 2010, Mathis said, after which police took him home.
Abuse: Police were called to the home where a 14-year-old boy with mental problems was locked in a filthy room numerous times
Disgraceful: Neighbour Julie Logan holds her breath while looking for her cat at the trailer house
A year later, police were again called to the home because neighbours had complained about unlicensed dogs. Lt Lee Mathis said police never entered the home during those visits and didn't notice anything suspicious.
'If we had any indication of what was going on, we would have taken action,' he said.
Joliff, 36, and Smith, 31, have been jailed on charges of false imprisonment, child abuse and neglect. A public defender assigned to represent Joliff declined to comment saying he hadn't reviewed the case yet. whitefolkgonewild.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment