Kansas Police Find 4 Year Old Locked in Bedroom Soaked in Feces, Urine
IOLA, KANSAS – A father in Kansas is facing felony charges after police discovered he locked his 4-year-old son alone in a bedroom without access to a bathroom or food before he left for work.
22-year-old Blayke Anthony Reynolds is being charged with three felonies that include aggravated child endangerment. The charges were filed after police said they discovered his 4-year-old son in inhumane conditions in a bedroom in Iola, Kansas.
“There was such a strong ammonia odor in the room. The room was just unbearable. Of course, there’s feces and everything. No way, shape, or form they were living conditions for any human being, let alone a 4-year-old child,” Brian Murphy an Allen County Sheriff stated.
Authorities broke into the locked bedroom after forcing their way into the home on November 4th, where the boy was discovered. Police were prompted by a nearby neighbor who saw the child banging on the window and called the police at around 5 p.m.
The 4-year-old boy had no access to the bathroom or food.
The child was taken to the hospital where he was checked by doctors. Sheriff Murphy says the boy is in good condition and has now been returned to the custody of the boy’s mother.
Reynolds’s bond has been set at $10,000. Mr Reynolds is being accused of knowingly leaving his son for about 12 hours while he went to work in La Cygne, Kansas. La Cygne is about an hour and a half drive away from the home.
Sheriff Murphy says Mr Reynolds has been granted temporary visitation rights to see his son. Reynolds told officers he was unable to afford child care.
Leo Wood, a nearby neighbor said his family and he often saw the 4-year-old in the bedroom window. Leo Wood’s stepdaughter contacted authorities because she felt that something didn’t seem right.
“All he would have had to do is come over and knock on the door and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got to be at work. I need a sitter.’ Not a problem,” Leo Wood the neighbor mentioned.
There is an investigation by authorities about this not being the first time the child was left alone in the locked bedroom.
The Allen County Sheriff’s Office released a statement on Facebook:
