(RightWing.org) – Residents of a small bedroom community south of Atlanta, Georgia, are coming to grips with the news that a local couple is facing a host of criminal charges after police officers found their son wandering the streets hoping to find some food.
On Monday, May 16, local CBS affiliate WNAF reported that Griffin police officers found a 10-year-old boy walking around the Westminster Circle neighborhood on Friday. The boy told the officers he was hungry and trying to get something to eat from a nearby grocery store.
The officers reported that the boy appeared grossly underweight and had “discolored skin” and other “visible injuries.” Due to his extreme condition, they transported him to a nearby hospital. Investigators later revealed that the boy only weighed 36 pounds and suffered from an extremely low heart rate at the time of his admission to the medical facility.
The couple is facing charges of cruelty to children, false imprisonment, simple battery, criminal attempt to commit a felony, and murder.
— Atlanta News First (@ATLNewsFirst) May 16, 2023
Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for the boy’s parents, Tyler and Krista Schindley, and Griffin PD officers took them into custody over the weekend at their home. The couple faces several felony charges, including attempted murder by malice, false imprisonment, cruelty to a minor, criminal attempt to commit a felony, and battery.
Charging documents alleged the Schindleys kept their son locked up in his room with no outside view for “extended periods of time… on multiple occasions.” They also reportedly withheld access to other basic needs like food, hot or warm running water, lights, and toilet paper.
Additionally, court records indicated the boy suffered from “disfiguration” and dental problems related to his abuse. The Schindleys allegedly injured him in the presence of other underaged children in the home. It remains unclear whether the other children were the boy’s siblings and whether or not they were taken into custody by child protective services officials.
A local bi-weekly newspaper reported that Griffin PD investigator Jodi Spears documented her findings, writing that the Schindleys acted “unlawfully and with malice aforethought” while denying their son access to food. She also accused the couple of having “abandoned and malignant” hearts.
The judge overseeing the case denied the couple’s application for bail, and law enforcement officials are currently detaining the Schindleys in the Spalding County Jail.
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