Mother Locked Up After Locking Son In Closet For Four Years

A 14-year-old teen is resting easy in the strong arms of Child Protection Services after serving a four year stint as a prisoner in his own home.

37-year-old LaRhonda McCall has been charged with 20 counts of child abuse and neglect after her teenage son “escaped” from a closet that she locked him in for nearly 4½ years.

Police were alerted to the situation after the teen made his way to a National Guard facility in Oklahoma City and caught the attention of a security guard on duty.

“He was hungry. He was dirty. He had numerous scars on his body,” said Sergeant Gary Knightsaid, the first member of law enforcement to arrive on location.

Wearing only a pair of oversized shorts kept in place by a belt, the boy was severely malnourished, a fact slightly less shocking than the origin of his scars and bruises. Police say the teen told them that some scarring occurred from being choked, hit with an extension chord, and from being tied up. The more prevalent marks, located on his stomach and torso, are the result of repeatedly being doused in alcohol and set on fire.

McCall and an accomplice, 38-year-old Steve Vern Hamilton, are both being held on $400,000 bond. Six other children that were living at home were taken by the Department of Human Services.

They have not shown any signs of abuse.