13 June 2023 , 15:52
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The half-brother of a starving 10-year-old boy found found wandering the streets the streets has been arrested after he was accused of using his "bare hands to strangle" the child.
Ethan Washburn, 20, from Tennessee, US, is the biological son of Kristy Schindley, 47, who is accused of committing child cruelty alongside husband Tyler Schindley, 46.
According to police, the suspect used his bare hands to choke the boy, who weighed just 36 pounds when he was rescued by neighbours after he was found wandering the streets.
The couple are also accused of allowing their fourth other children to "see and/or hear" physical abuse against the 10-year-old on multiple occasions and intentionally withholding food from the child for an extended period of time.
Krista Schindley booked in by police (Spalding County Sheriff's Office)
Dad Tyler in a police custody image (Spalding County Sheriff's Office)It is unclear when Mr Washburn last saw his younger half-brother but, according to Fox Atlanta, he was housesitting when the incident happened.
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"I'm not too close to the situation right now. I'm just actually watching the house. I don't really have any comment at this time on this story," Mr Washburn said at the time.
Prosecutors in Georgia also allege the parents caused dental injury and disfiguration and locked him in his bedroom for extended periods without access to basic necessities.
The child was found wandering away from his home and begged police not to take him back (Fox 5)The child abuse allegedly took place over three years, from May 12, 2020, to May 12, 2023.
According to the Spalding County district attorney, the lost child begged neighbours who found him not to take him back home.
Marie Broder said: "As a mother, I can't comprehend it. As a human being, it breaks your heart. We aren't releasing any photos of this child for obvious reasons, but I will tell you, the photos are absolutely horrible, and anybody with a human heart, who looks at them, should be shaken to their core.
Neighbour Kim Seigler (FOX 5)“This child was, simply put, being starved to death, and it is tragic. I truly believe that if he had not gotten out of that home, this would be a very different case.”
Kim Seigler, a neighbour who lives next door to the family, discovered the child walking barefoot outside and alerted the authorities.
She said: "He had on kind of big clothes. I thought he was at the most 6 years old."
Washburn spoke to FOX 5 in May (FOX 5)She expressed shock and deep concern upon learning about the abuse, saying: "I can't explain how shocked we were - really been affected by this."
Ms Seigler also mentioned that there were five children living in the Schindley's home, but they rarely interacted with neighbours unless the parents were not around.
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Kristy Schindley is accused of committing child cruelty alongside husband Tyler Schindley (Facebook)The 10-year-old boy was hospitalised and his current condition has not been released by police.
The other children in the home are currently in the custody of Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS).