A teenager is now in grave condition after his adoptive parents kept him in the basement of their home with little to no food and was denied medical care. The 14-year-old weighs only 55 pounds.
The adoptive parents were identified as Richard and Cynthia Kelly. They were arrested on felony child abuse charges on Sunday.
The arrest came after social workers found out about the 14-year-old boy, who's currently in critical condition at a hospital. Helena police Chief Pete Folmar said in a statement that the boy being treated as such was the worst case of neglect he has seen, New York Daily News reported.
He noted that the couple kept him in forced isolation for long periods of time in the past two years. The adoptive parents reportedly did such as a form of discipline. It remained unclear what the teen did to be punished the way he was.
Folmar noted, "He was and remains gravely ill. I feel sorry for this young man." It was found out at the hospital that the teenage boy suffers from chronic malnourishment, is shocked, has acute respiratory distress, and has hypothermia and hypothyroid disease.
The 14-year-old boy was brought to a local hospital on Sunday morning and his adoptive parents were the ones who took him there. The adoptive parents were questioned for several hours before they were taken into custody.
Richard and Cynthia are now charged with aggravated child abuse of a family member. A judge has set the bail for each of the adoptive parents at $1 million, CBS reported.
No other details as to when the teen was adopted have been released. Officers said, however, that two more adopted children, a 19-year-old female and a 21-year-old male, were living in the same home the 14-year-old and the adoptive parents were.
Both adopted children are reportedly not facing any charges. Meanwhile, nNo date has been set yet for their first court appearance.
