There are few stories that rile us up as much as hearing about parents or guardians -- or anyone, really -- who are so heartless and cruel they would cause harm to an innocent child who wants nothing more than to be loved and nurtured. A 7-year-old boy was found in Greenville, Pennsylvania, weighing just 20 pounds. Cops believe his mother and grandparents starved, beat, and tortured him -- and that, if he hadn't been discovered by a neighbor, he would have suffered a cardiac arrest within one month.
The details of this disgusting case of alleged child abuse are so horrific, you may find them difficult to believe -- and digest.
Mary C. Rader, 28, and her parents, Dennis Beighley, 58, and Deanna Beighley, 47, are suspected of starving the boy to such an extreme degree that he reportedly ate insects to survive. Police say he had three abscessed teeth, which could have killed him, and he was beaten any time he tried to get his hands on something to eat.
Police say the trio removed the child from school, enrolled him in online classes that he reportedly didn't attend, and kept him indoors at all times. He has two sisters, who are 11 and 14, and a 9-year-old brother, and all of them were allowed food, but the youngest sibling was treated worse than an animal.
And the motive behind the horrific treatment of this poor angel? Police say they "disliked the child." Are you kidding me?!
Thank God a woman walking her dog noticed the boy, whom police say looked like a "Holocaust survivor," and reported the family. When cops arrived, they also found that the 9-year-old boy was underweight. The youngest child was hospitalized and gained 24 pounds in about a month. Rader and the boy's father are reportedly separated. His family says she didn't allow them to have contact with the child and that she acted "strange," according to the child's aunt.
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All of Rader's children are currently in state custody. Rader and her parents have been charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault, unlawful restraint of a minor, false imprisonment, child endangerment, and criminal conspiracy. All three posted a $75,000 unsecured bond and are waiting for their preliminary hearing on July 30.
Are you surprised the horrific treatment of this boy went unnoticed?
Image via Jason Hargrove/Flickr