An eastern Kentucky woman was arrested last week for child abuse after reports said her son “showed signs of torture.”
The school officials noticed the boy’s injuries on Tuesday when he returned to school after not attending since before Christmas. According to WYMT, he appeared to have “chipped front teeth and a busted nose.”
A school official became concerned and called the police. When investigators questioned the boy about how he got injured, he mentioned that he had been packing wood and riding his bike, but he refused to provide further details.
In a complaint against Mary Hall, the 42-year-old mother of the boy, it was noted that when asked about her son’s injuries, she mentioned that they had been packing wood and playing outside. She even suggested that he could have sustained the injuries while sleeping.
The child did not claim any abuse, and Hall denied knowing how he was injured. But, the warrant for her arrest said, “there are times when [he] is not allowed to eat at home due to discipline. [He] has appeared hungry.”
The warrant said the boy “gorges himself when he eats at school,” and in fact, on the day he returned this week, “he gorged himself until he got sick and vomited.”
The warrant said the boy “was sick this morning after eating. He is real pale real skinny. He does not look good. He looks malnourished.”
Kentucky State Troopers searched the home and found the room where the boy “has been held” had a lock on the outside. They found a single mattress and a lamp in the room, which was “referred to as the dark room.”
According to Mountain Top Media, other children in the home did not show signs of abuse. The warrant said that those children would report what the victim ate at school and he would be denied food at home if he ate there.
The boy was taken from the home, went into cardiac arrest, and was taken to the University of Kentucky Hospital, where doctors said he was “unable to keep solid food down and the treating doctor stated that the child showed signs of torture.”
Hall has been charged with first-degree child abuse, first-degree assault, and kidnapping. She is being held without bond.
