A Sarasota, Florida, mother and father have been arrested after police say authorities discovered the parents were beating and not feeding their three children.
In a statement, the Sarasota Police Department tells media outlets that 27-year-old Kimberly Haygood and 30-year-old Anthony Jones are each charged with five felony counts involving child abuse and child neglect.
Authorities say the Department of Children and Families contacted police about a child abuse case they were investigating Thursday. Police say they found that a 6-year-old boy and 4-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, were all extremely malnourished and dehydrated.
Police said the 4-year-old boy had no hair and a skin rash because of a lack of nutrients, he was not able to speak, and weighed just 22 pounds — the average weight of a healthy 11-month-old baby — while his twin sister weighed two pounds more, according to an NBC News report.
Haygood and Jones are being held on $50,000 and $60,000 bond, respectively. It isn't immediately clear if they have attorneys.
Police say additional charges for both Haygood and Jones are pending.
Sarasota Parents Beat, Starved Children: Police
Copyright AP - Associated Press
