US teen imprisoned, starved by parents
Source: Agencies |
October 6, 2012, Saturday
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A US teen was so malnourished he still had his baby teeth at age 18 and was so isolated that his sisters who lived in the same Georgia home had no contact with him aside from hearing his screams, according to detectives.
The young man, Mitch Comer, stood 1.77 meters and weighed 40 kilograms when he raised the suspicion of a guard at a bus station in downtown Los Angeles last month. He said he was put on a bus by his stepfather, Paul Comer, on his 18th birthday with a few hundred dollars cash and a list of homeless shelters.
Mitch Comer told detectives he was subjected to years of abuse after being taken out of school in eighth grade, confined to a bathroom and bedroom and shielded from sunlight so long his skin had become translucent.
Detectives described their interviews with the teen and his family on Thursday during a hearing that ended with Paul Comer and the teen's mother, Sheila Comer, being denied bond. The teen's two sisters, ages 11 and 13, thought he had brown hair but never saw him, said Paulding County Sheriff's Detective Kyle Shelton. "He screams for food and screams to go to the bathroom. That's all (the sisters) know of their brother," Shelton said.
Paulding County Magistrate Judge Martin Valbuena said he wouldn't consider releasing the Comers on bond until authorities investigate why they had lived at 15 addresses in five states since the late 1990s.
Paul Comer's lawyer, Scott Smith, said the different addresses were purely innocent, as the family moved often for work.
During the hearing, Detective Kevin Morgan testified that the Comers conceded the teen had been confined to the room as punishment. Paul Comer also has told investigators Mitch Comer went to Los Angeles because he wanted to be an actor.
The detectives described Comer's confinement, which began in a bathroom locked by a deadbolt. The house was filthy and smelled bad, the detectives said, but the bathroom was spotless - Mitch Comer told them he cleaned it often to escape boredom.
He was held there for a year before being moved to an adjoining bedroom, where the door was blocked by a refrigerator.
Mitch Comer also told investigators he wasn't fed often, occasionally getting soup or cereal but little of substance.
The young man, Mitch Comer, stood 1.77 meters and weighed 40 kilograms when he raised the suspicion of a guard at a bus station in downtown Los Angeles last month. He said he was put on a bus by his stepfather, Paul Comer, on his 18th birthday with a few hundred dollars cash and a list of homeless shelters.
Mitch Comer told detectives he was subjected to years of abuse after being taken out of school in eighth grade, confined to a bathroom and bedroom and shielded from sunlight so long his skin had become translucent.
Detectives described their interviews with the teen and his family on Thursday during a hearing that ended with Paul Comer and the teen's mother, Sheila Comer, being denied bond. The teen's two sisters, ages 11 and 13, thought he had brown hair but never saw him, said Paulding County Sheriff's Detective Kyle Shelton. "He screams for food and screams to go to the bathroom. That's all (the sisters) know of their brother," Shelton said.
Paulding County Magistrate Judge Martin Valbuena said he wouldn't consider releasing the Comers on bond until authorities investigate why they had lived at 15 addresses in five states since the late 1990s.
Paul Comer's lawyer, Scott Smith, said the different addresses were purely innocent, as the family moved often for work.
During the hearing, Detective Kevin Morgan testified that the Comers conceded the teen had been confined to the room as punishment. Paul Comer also has told investigators Mitch Comer went to Los Angeles because he wanted to be an actor.
The detectives described Comer's confinement, which began in a bathroom locked by a deadbolt. The house was filthy and smelled bad, the detectives said, but the bathroom was spotless - Mitch Comer told them he cleaned it often to escape boredom.
He was held there for a year before being moved to an adjoining bedroom, where the door was blocked by a refrigerator.
Mitch Comer also told investigators he wasn't fed often, occasionally getting soup or cereal but little of substance.
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