KEY POINTS
- The victims aged 11, 8, and 5 were abused by their stepmother Lori Carling
- Their father Chris Anderson was aware of the torture carried out by stepmom
- Carling punished them for "being loud in the morning”
The police in Utah have arrested the parents of three young children for tying them up for hours and placing their heads in boxes as punishment.
The suspects, identified as 37-year-old Lori Carling and her 36-year-old husband Chris Anderson, were arrested on two felony charges of aggravated child abuse in connection with the assault of the three unidentified children aged 11, 8, and 5 under their care, Pix 11 reported.
The victims said their father, Anderson was aware of the torture carried out by their stepmother Carling.
The incident came to light after the 11-year-old boy who recorded the abuse showed it to his teacher at his elementary school on May 2. The police started an investigation after the video showed the boy's younger brothers standing in timeout with boxes placed over their heads while their hands tied behind their backs.
The 11-year-old said Carling punished them for "being loud in the morning” and continued the punishment for the rest of the day. She reportedly placed a "marble maze toy" on top of the boxes placed on the victims' heads and tied one leg to their hand if they happen to move or speak.
According to the boy, the siblings were being abused for the past two years and so he decided to record it to get help.
"A search warrant was granted to search their residence and the 2 boxes that the boys described along with 2 black shoelaces and 2 marble rattling toys were seized along with a smaller box that the older sibling stated was used to have the victims place their feet against the wall and not be able to move," the arrest affidavit said, as reported by Oklahoma News 4.
During interrogation, Carling admitted to administering the punishments for two-hour increments at a time.
The victims were sent for medical examination. The children told the doctors that they often felt dizzy when Carling forced them to place boxes on their heads as there was no breathing space inside them.
The 5-year-old and 8-year-old were transferred to the custody of the Utah Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS), according to reports. No information about the 11-year-old was immediately made available.
Representation. Photo: Pixabay
