OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (WNEM/Gray News) - A Michigan couple is charged with multiple felonies after officials said they starved two of their children.
The two victims, ages 9 and 11, are recovering in the hospital after being found severely underweight and abused, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.
Officials said the 9-year-old weighed just 33 pounds and the 11-year-old weighed 43 pounds.
Arturo Bazan-Perez, 43, and his wife Dulce Bazan Castillo, 42, have been charged with two counts of first-degree child abuse and two counts of torture.
They are being held without bond at the Oakland County Jail.
The investigation began on Nov. 17 when deputies were notified by a local hospital that the 9-year-old child had experienced cardiac arrest due to malnutrition.
The boy was also suffering from liver failure, and there were several injuries on his body consistent with abuse, prosecutors said.
When deputies arrived at the hospital, the boy did not have a pulse. He was able to be revived, intubated and airlifted to another hospital for specialized care.
Investigators then found the 11-year-old victim in the couple's care who was also admitted to the hospital.
They are both now in stable condition, the sheriff's office said.
Detectives discovered the boys were pulled out of school in September. School officials were told at the time that the family was moving.
However, after they were unenrolled from school, officials allege the children were not allowed to leave their bedroom. The windows were screwed shut and the window glass was painted so they could not see outside, the sheriff's office said.
The boys told investigators they received less food than their two younger siblings. They also said their diets were mainly sporadic meals of rice.
The sheriff's office said the younger children, a 1-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl, were fed a normal diet and appeared healthy. They have been removed from the home by Child Protective Services.
Another man living at the home, 24-year-old Carlos Bazan-Hernandez, is also charged with child abuse and torture. The sheriff's office said he acted as a disciplinarian for the children. It's unclear if he is related to the victims.
If convicted, all suspects in this case face up to life in prison.
"It's unconscionable that anyone, let alone parents, would willfully starve children," said 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."
A probable cause conference for the parents is set for Dec. 4, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for Dec. 11.
"The child abuse cases we are seeing right now are nothing short of heartbreaking and enraging," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "In this case especially, the suffering these children endured might have been stopped sooner had the legislation I called on the Legislature to pass been enacted -- a simple, common-sense safeguard that would prevent a child from being unenrolled from school without verified confirmation of their safety and status elsewhere. No child should ever fall through the cracks like this. We will not rest until those responsible are held fully and unequivocally accountable."