Boy, 11, who was chained inside a barrel on a balcony for a month and forced to eat his own feces to survive, is rescued by cops in Brazil
An 11-year-old boy who was forced by his father and stepmother to live inside a barrel where he ate his own feces was rescued by authorities in the southern Brazilian city of Campinas.
The São Paulo Military Police said the cops were responding to an anonymous report at a two-story residence in the Jardim Itatiaia on Saturday.
Video shows the moment law enforcement agents entered and found the malnourished, naked child chained inside the small metal container that was stored away in a corner of the balcony.
Brazilian law enforcement responded to an anonymous tip and rescued an 11-year-old boy from a home where his father, stepmother and stepsister allegedly abused him and forced him to live inside a barrel where he was chained for almost a month. The boy, who was malnourished, reportedly ate his own feces and was only fed banana peels and cornmeal
The boy weighed only 59 pounds and remains hospitalized at Ouro Verde Municipal Hospital, pending a full examination
Brazilian news outlet Acidade On reported that the boy had been living inside the metal container for almost a month and that it was covered in feces and urine.
He allegedly was only fed meals of banana peels and cornmeal and was forced to eat his own feces to survive, police said.
'Military officers found the boy in an unbelievable and utter helpless situation, treated inhumanely and with cruelty,' the São Paulo Military Police said in a statement.
'Military police officers, family, parents ... with their hearts in their hands gathered enough forces to rescue that boy, who was very thirsty, tied and constantly exposed to the sun.
The boy's father, stepmother and his 22-year-old stepsister, who reportedly played a role in abusing him, were placed under arrest. Their identities were not released.
The 39-year-old stepmother was known in the neighborhood for rescuing abandoned dogs and providing them shelter at her home.
The São Paulo Military Police said 'officers found the boy in an unbelievable and utter helpless situation, treated inhumanely and with cruelty'
Residents told authorities that the boy had been abused by his family for several years. The Guardian Council, which is the state child services agency, said the family had been under watch for a year
The boy weighed only 59 pounds at the time of his rescue and was rushed to Ouro Verde Municipal Hospital, where he remains hospitalized pending a full examination
According to the police report, the father and the stepmother said that they had chained the boy to the barrel because he suffered from a psychiatric problem and 'gave them a lot of work.'
The father initially denied he was the boy's biological father before he confessed he was and claimed the child's mother had abandoned them.
The boy weighed only 59 pounds at the time of his rescue and was rushed to Ouro Verde Municipal Hospital, where he remains hospitalized pending a full examination.
The father and stepmother said that they had chained the boy to the barrel because he suffered from a psychiatric problem and 'gave them a lot of work'
Residents told authorities that the boy had been abused by his family for several years.
According to the state child services agency, the family had been under watch for a year.
'We were aware of the family's vulnerability, and that is why there was a support network accompanying [social work and health],' said Moisés Sesion da Costa, a counselor with Guardian Council.
'At no time in the reports was such violence reported.'
