Seeing news reports about child abuse makes one wonder how some of the most unfit people could possibly be parents, and yet the most horrible abusers are the parents themselves.
In the case of this six-year-old boy from Auburn, Washington, his father Chris Sefton and his fiancé Lori Lloyd forced him to exercise to the point of exhaustion and denied him of any sleep.
For sustenance, he was fed exclusively of a blended drink made with bread, carrots, water, vegetable oil and hot dog. On top of that, he also suffered from physical abuse.
In the picture shown during a court hearing, the boy appears stick-thin with a bloated belly, prominent ribs, and knobbly ribs and elbows—common signs of starvation and malnutrition.
According to a Washington Post report, School officials have noted that the boy has been stealing food from the other children and digging through the trash to locate additional food.
The boy’s father, said the prosecutor, told school staffers that the boy was a “demon” and that he should not be fed because of his “dietary restrictions.”
For months the boy continued to lose weight, which alarmed teachers and nurses at the school.
“The boy was transported to the emergency department of Seattle Children’s Hospital, where medical personnel noticed bruises and lesions consistent with possible burns as well as signs that he was malnourished.”
Court documents also said that during this visit to Children’s Hospital, the boy admitted that was only fed a blended drink in the morning and for dinner.
He also explained that he often does not like to drink the ‘shake,’ but that if he refuses, he receives no other food.
Authorities arrested Sefton and Lloyd, both of whom were charged with assault of a child, criminal mistreatment and unlawful imprisonment.
“There was no love in this kid’s life,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Cecelia Gregson put it to a jury Thursday, offering closing arguments after a two-month trial.
Meanwhile, the boy, his older sister, and a half brother (both of which were also subjected to abuse), have been placed in other homes and are receiving counseling.
WATCH: Helpless baby is physically abused, recorded on video by suspects
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