OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – A Pontiac couple was arrested and charged with allegedly starving and torturing their young children.
Auturo Bazan-Perez, 43, and his wife, Dulce Crystal Bazan Castillo, 42, were charged with two counts of first-degree child abuse and two counts of torture.
Their adult son, Carlos Bazan-Hernandez, 24, is also facing the same charges. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said he acted as a disciplinarian.
The investigation began when a 9-year-old was taken to a local hospital on Nov. 17 after the sheriff’s office said he was suffering a cardiac arrest due to malnutrition.
According to authorities, Bazan-Perez and Castillo took the boy to the hospital and said he was suffering a medical condition.
The sheriff’s office said the 9-year-old had to be intubated and was airlifted to another hospital for specialized care.
After further investigation, detectives said they discovered Bazan-Perez and Castillo‘s 11-year-old son was severely malnourished. He was taken from his home and was hospitalized. Both are expected to recover, the sheriff’s office said.
Officials said the 9-year-old weighed 33 pounds, and the 11-year-old weighed 43 pounds.
According to the sheriff’s office, the boys were enrolled in Pontiac schools and appeared to be eating at least two meals a day at school.
They were unenrolled from school in September. Bazan-Perez allegedly told school officials that they were either moving back to Mexico or another state.
The sheriff’s office said the boys’ diet consisted mainly of sporadic meals of rice after they stopped attending school.
They were also reportedly not permitted to leave their bedroom. Their windows were screwed shut, and the window glass was painted over, officials said.
Two other children were living in the home, a 1-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl. According to authorities, those children were fed a normal diet and appeared to be healthy. They were removed from their home by Child Protective Services.
“It’s unconscionable that anyone, let alone parents, would willfully starve children,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. “The allegations in this case are horrifying. My thoughts right now are with these children and the caregivers working to help them recover from what appears to be a nightmare situation.”
Bazan-Perez and Castillo are set to appear in court on Dec. 4 for a probable cause conference.
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