Neighbors of the Georgia couple who were arrested Friday after their stick-thin and starving 10-year-old son was found wandering the streets say they sensed something was wrong with the family and regretted not noticing the abuse.
Griffin police arrested Tyler and Krista Schindley after their neighbors found their son, who weighed only 36 pounds, lost in the neighborhood in search of a grocery store where he could beg for food.
Neighbors say the parents — who were charged with attempted murder and child cruelty, among other counts — would often leave their older children at home alone for days while they were on vacation, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
Kim Seigler, the couple’s next-door neighbor, told the outlet she had been worried about their children before and wished she had noticed the abuse before it escalated to this point.
“It’s just horrible — who could even think of doing such a thing,” Seigler said. “The fact that they’re my neighbor…just made me feel bad… like I should’ve been more observant.”
Griffin District Attorney Marie Broder said she believes the good Samaritan neighbor who got the boy help saved his life.
“This child was, simply put, being starved to death, and it is tragic,” Broder said during a Tuesday press conference. “I truly believe that if he had not gotten out of that home, this would be a very different case.”
Police say the couple’s young son was intentionally starved and weighed only 36 pounds, about half the weight of a typical 10-year-old and almost what an average 4-year-old should weigh.
The parents have been accused of locking the boy inside his bedroom and leaving him alone for “extended periods of time, and on multiple occasions, with no access to lights, food, clothing or adult interaction and/or assistance,” according to court documents.
They also allegedly withheld necessities like hot water, toilet paper, views of the outside and human interaction from the boy — and even beat him at one point, causing greater injuries.
When the boy was found he was confused, barefoot, hungry and begged not to be taken back home.
He was quickly taken to a nearby hospital, where he is still being treated for malnutrition and a low heart rate.
The child also suffered from “dental injury and disfiguration” from the starvation and injuries his parents allegedly failed to treat.
Officials said there were other four children in the home, and they have since been placed in the custody of the state Department of Family and Children’s Services.
Fox 5 knocked on the door of the Schindley family home Tuesday afternoon and was told by the couple’s oldest son he had no connection to the case.
“I’m not too close to the situation right now, I’m just watching the house. I don’t really have any comment,” he said before confirming the couple is his parents.
The parents have been charged with criminal attempts to commit a felony, false imprisonment, two battery counts, and three cruelty to children counts.