Family members of 13-year-old found naked and chained in home charged with torture and child abuse
Three immediate family members of a 13-year-old boy found naked and chained to a door in a central Alabama home have been arrested and are now looking at charges of child abuse and torture. Authorities in Prattville were alerted to that abuse following an anonymous tip to the local sheriff’s office in Autauga County. “The caller said they had information about a child who was being abused in a home by being restrained with chains,” according to a quote provided by WSFA.
The call came in to the sheriff’s office last Thursday. When deputies arrived at the home located in the 2500 block of County Road 46 they found the young boy, naked and chained to a door by his ankles. Investigators claim that due to the child’s red marks and bruising, that he had been chained and restrained for long intervals.
According to the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office, the boy’s mother, Danielle Nicole Martin, 32, stepfather Joshua Daniel Martin, 26, and grandmother Vickie Seale Higginbotham, 58, were all arrested and charged with torture and child abuse.
Two other children, ages 12 and five, were also found inside the residence. All three children were turned over to the custody of the Department of Human Resources. The three adults were taken to the Autauga Metro Jail under a $15,000 cash bond each.
Authorities in Prattville say that their investigation is still ongoing and that additional charges against the adults could be forthcoming. Al.com reported that a motion was filed on Friday wherein prosecutors requested “that the charges be upgraded to aggravated child abuse, which is a Class B felony and would bring higher bond.” As of this writing, it is not known whether that request has been granted by the court.
According to court records, the mother and grandmother of the child say they had chained up the 13-year-old on Wednesday as punishment for kicking his younger brother. According to AL.com, the younger brother showed no indications that he had been kicked or injured. The children were all being home-schooled.
Also see: New details of abuse emerge from California ‘House of Horrors’
~ Written by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
