7-year-old was ‘near fatality’ after years of ‘severe’ malnutrition despite parents having ‘plenty of food’ and thousands in cash, police say

An Arkansas couple are behind bars after locking their 7-year-old son in a closet while subjecting him to a near-starvation regime for years, according to law enforcement.

Chris Freeman, 39, and Katelyn Freeman, 27, stand accused of one count each of battery in the first degree and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Pope County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials said the couple’s residence on Sandstone Circle in Russellville – a small city located along Lake Dardanelle and directly adjacent to Ozark National Forest – was “unfit for children.”

Inside, one of the closets had been outfitted into a cell of sorts, police say. In that closet, the boy was allegedly doubly trapped: locked up and confined – often tied with ropes – for long periods of time.

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When he was recovered, the couple’s son was described as “pale, limp and extremely underweight at just 28 pounds,” according to a press release issued by the Russellville Police Department.

Police responded to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital after the victim was transferred from the Dardanelle Regional Medical Center on Tuesday morning. At the second hospital, doctors allegedly told investigators the victim, admitted in critical condition, had become a “near fatality” due to years of “severe, prolonged malnutrition.”

As the investigation continued, officers noted the closet showed signs of extended use – such as worn-down walls and hardware, according to police. There was also allegedly human waste – urine and feces – on the floor of the “makeshift” human enclosure, police claim.

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Meanwhile, at least some parts of the rest of the house told a different story altogether – one where privation was nonexistent.

Police said they discovered “plenty of food and several thousand dollars in cash” while searching the “cluttered” Freeman residence, according to a press release issued by the police department.

During their interrogations, the couple allegedly admitted to keeping their son locked in the closet. The defendants also said they refused to obtain medical treatment for the child out “fear of repercussions and embarrassment,” according to police.

And, law enforcement officials say, another child was victimized, too.

“Reports from other juveniles in the home described the use of ropes to restrain not only the 7-year-old but also a 5-year-old sibling as punishment,” the press release reads.

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As of this writing, the defendants have only been charged in relation to the abuse allegedly suffered by the older boy. Officials say the investigation is ongoing and additional charges could be filed.

Russellville Police Chief David Ewing described the case as “horrific and disturbing” in a statement.

A spokesperson for the police department told Little Rock-based NBC affiliate KARK the child suffered “physical and mental torture.”

The boy remains in critical condition in the hospital; his two siblings are currently in the custody of state child welfare authorities.

The defendants are currently being detained in the Pope County Detention Center. Records do not show a bond amount.

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