DALLAS, TX - On Sunday, Dallas police officers rescued a six-year-old boy, forced to live in a shed behind his grandmother's house, where she lives with her boyfriend. Police found the boy with his hands tied behind his back in the stifling, rat-infested shed.
The boy was never allowed inside the house, given a plastic bag in which to relieve himself and his only opportunity to bathe was when his grandmother would spray him with the hose, according to court documents.
The police were alerted to the abuse by Juan Vaquero, a man renting a camper on the property.
CBS DFW reported:
“A police report notes they found the boy 'standing alone in the pitch dark shed… his hands tied behind his back with shoelaces.' It describes 'ligature marks on both his wrists from being tied up' and 'rats and insects… in the shed.'”
Two other children, ages 4 and 7, were also removed from the house. Both are now in the custody of child protective services.
Esmeralda Lira, 53, and Jose Balderas, 66, were both charged with abandonment and endangering a child. Both are currently being held in the Dallas County Jail on ICE detainers.
View Lira's booking info...
View Balderas' booking info...
