Mom beat and starved her 5-year-old son in ‘brutal’ abuse case, Missouri officials say
A Missouri woman was arrested after being accused of singling out her 5-year-old son for beatings, denying him food and locking him in a closet, according to prosecutors.
A friend reported the alleged abuse to police after staying the night at the 26-year-old mother’s house in Florissant, about a 15-mile drive northwest of St. Louis, according to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. McClatchy News is not naming the woman to protect the identity of her children.
The friend reported witnessing repeated, “brutal” punishments. After police responded to the home on Feb. 17, the child was taken to the hospital and treated for malnourishment.
The mother was charged with abuse or neglect of a child - serious emotional or physical injury, first-degree kidnapping, and abuse or neglect of a child.
“Defendant admitted that she uses belts, cords, and zip ties to punish Victim for sneaking food,” the attorney’s office’s news release said. “She also admitted to leaving Victim zip tied for at least two to three hours.”
The first instances of alleged abuse the friend reported seeing was the mother making the child ball up his fists while she hit his knuckles with her phone, investigators said. The friend also saw the woman locking the boy in a closet and blocking the door with a dresser, and forcing him to hold wall squats “longer than anyone in the military should,” according to the attorney’s office.
Prosecutors said the friend heard “screaming, crying and begging for something to stop” in the middle of the night.
In the morning, his mother told the friend the boy was downstairs, where he was found on the floor with his hands zip-tied behind his back and his pants around his ankles, covered in bruises, the attorney’s office said.
The mother’s friend made a video recording showing his condition, and the other kids confirmed to police that the 5-year-old’s punishments were routine, investigators said.
This story was originally published February 18, 2025 at 2:00 AM with the headline "Mom beat and starved her 5-year-old son in ‘brutal’ abuse case, Missouri officials say."
