Parents Accused of Trying to Starve to Death 10-Year-Old Son

A Georgia couple has been charged with trying to starve their 10-year-old son to death.

A neighbor found the boy wandering alone in his neighborhood on Friday after he escaped the home. Griffin police reported that he was barefoot and hungry and begged to not be taken back home, WAGA reported.

“As a mother, I can’t comprehend it. As a human being, it breaks your heart. We aren’t releasing any photos of this child for obvious reasons, but I will tell you, the photos are absolutely horrible, and anybody with a human heart, who looks at them, should be shaken to their core,” Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Marie Broder said.

Tyler and Krista Schindley have been charged with attempted murder, false imprisonment, cruelty to children, and other related charges, Broder said.

Police said the 10-year-old weighed just 36 pounds when the neighbor found him, WSB reported. When officers arrived, he told them he was trying to go to Kroger to buy food.

According to the CDC, the average 4-year-old weighs 40 pounds.

“This child was, simply put, being starved to death, and it is tragic,” Broder said. “I truly believe that if he had not gotten out of that home, this would be a very different case.”

The boy was rushed to a the hospital, where he is being treated for malnutrition.

The Schindlers have four other children. They are now in the custody of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services. Police said they appeared to be OK.

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[Featured image: Krista, left, and Tyler Schindley/Spalding County Sheriff’s Office]