Inset: One of the “severely malnourished” teen sons of Tracy and Joshua Dechant (Lehigh County DA’s Office). Background: The home where the teens lived with the Dechants (Google Maps).
A Pennsylvania couple, Joshua Dechant, 36, and Tracy Dechant, 42, have been arrested for allegedly torturing two teenage boys in their care. The accusations include physical abuse, starvation, and forcing the teenagers to remain outside naked in freezing temperatures.
The Dechants were taken into custody on Friday and face charges of third-degree criminal conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated assault, intimidation of a witness, endangering the welfare of children, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment of a minor, simple assault, and reckless endangerment, according to authorities.
Authorities said the twin 15-year-old victims were both nearly 100 pounds underweight.
According to a news release from the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office, troopers with the Pennsylvania State Police on Jan. 22 responded to a call at a home in the 1200 block of Divot Drive in Lower Macungie Township regarding a teenage boy running around the neighborhood “mostly naked.”
At some point, the child knocked on a neighbor’s door and asked for help and the neighbor called 911.
Upon arriving at the scene, authorities made contact with the teen — referred to in court documents as Victim 1 — who allegedly described some of the abuse he had suffered.
“Victim 1 told troopers that his stepfather, Joshua Dechant, forced him to go outside naked as a form of punishment,” the release states. “At the time this occurred on Jan. 22, 2025, the temperature outside was in the single digits. Victim 1 told troopers he was outside for approximately 20 minutes and his feet were extremely red from the cold and snow.”
The responding troopers noted that the victim appeared “very malnourished and extremely thin.”
“Neighbors told police that Victim 1 had knocked on their door seeking help and once inside the home, Victim 1 would not stop eating,” according to the release.
