PONTIAC (WWJ) -- A Pontiac couple is facing child abuse and torture charges after allegedly starving two young boys, pulling them from school, and keeping them locked up.
Auturo Bazan-Perez, 43, and his wife, 42-year-old Dulce Crystal Bazan Castillo, were both arraigned in 50th District Court on Tuesday and were ordered held without bond on multiple counts of first-degree child abuse and child torture.
Authorities say the couple was responsible for the care of two boys, ages 9 and 11, who were found severely malnourished — weighing just 33 and 43 pounds, respectively, roughly 30 to 40 pounds below healthy averages.
Both children are now hospitalized and in stable condition.
The young victims are Arturo Bazan's biological children, officials said, but his wife is not their biological mother.
The investigation began on Nov. 17 when the 9-year-old was taken to Trinity Hospital in Pontiac by the parents who said he was suffering from a medical condition.
According to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, the boy suffered a cardiac arrest and liver failure due to malnutrition.
The victim also had several injuries on his body, reportedly consistent with abuse.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office responded to the hospital and began looking into what led to the boy’s hospitalization. When they arrived, the boy did not have a pulse and had been intubated.
Deputies then went to the home, where they found the boy's 11-year-old brother, also in terrible condition and starving.
According to the sheriff's office, the boys had previously has eaten two meals a day at school, but were unenrolled from school in September, when the parents told school officials they were moving.
At home, it's alleged that the victims were only fed "sporadic" servings of rice, and were kept locked in a bedroom with the windows screwed shut. The window glass was also painted so that the boys couldn't see outside.
“It’s unconscionable that anyone, let alone parents, would willfully starve children,” said Prosecutor Karen McDonald, in a statement. “The allegations in this case are horrifying. My thoughts right now are with these children and the caregivers working to help them recover from what appears to be a nightmare situation.”
Officials said the couple did have two other children together, a 1-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl, but those two were fed regularly and appeared to be healthy.
The two younger children were removed from the home on Friday by Child Protective Services.
Child abuse and torture charges have also been filed against 24-year-old Carlos Bazan-Hernandez, Dulce Bazan's adult son, who also lived in the home and acted as a disciplinarian, officials said.
All three defendants will be back in court for a probable cause conference scheduled for Dec. 4.
First-degree child abuse is punishable by up to life in prison.
This is at least the third high-profile case of child abuse in Pontiac in recent memory, after two Pontiac moms were accused of keeping their children in horrendous conditions in separate cases.
WWJ Newsradio 950's Dan Jenkins asked Sheriff Mike Bouchard about that.
"It's very disturbing, and many times it's preventable," Bouchard said, "We have a bill that we requested after the very first case that would trigger certain kids of follow-ups when children are unenrolled from school.
"Before that is to occur, under what we suggested to the legislature, there must be follow-up to determine: Have they been re-enrolled in a different school, or are they in a safe environment? And clearly that didn't happen here."
Bouchard stressed that tips in cases such as this are always welcome, and are necessary to keep children safe.
"If you're aware of a child in a terrible situation, please report it to your local police," the sheriff said. "Even if it's anonymously and you don't want it attributable to you, it's important that we find kids that are in these barbaric situations and save them from that, and put them into a home where they can flourish."
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