Man ties up family members during argument, starves them for days, Missouri cops say
A man tortured and starved his family members in a basement for days after an argument turned violent, Missouri police said.
The fight broke out between the man and his sister at a St. Louis home on July 26, police said.
As it escalated, the man started to punch her, and their 68- and 76-year-old parents intervened, according to court documents filed on Aug. 2.
The man then started to punch his parents, according to police.
All four people fell down the stairs leading to the basement. When they reached the bottom, police said the man pulled them one by one into a room and bound his family members’ hands with zip ties.
He shut off the lights and left them in the basement for “several days” without food or water, according to the criminal complaint.
McClatchy News is not naming the suspect to protect the identity of the victims.
The suspect’s attorney information was not listed.
As the family was trapped in the basement, the man hit them with a “whip-like object,” police said.
He severely burnt one parent by lighting a piece of paper on fire and placing it into their restrained hands, police said. That parent may now need surgery, according to court documents.
The sister was forced to crawl up the stairs and pick up “excretion-soaked” papers with her mouth, according to court documents.
On July 30, police got a call from another family member asking for a welfare check on the home. When officers arrived, the front door was barricaded with furniture and all four family members were in the basement, according to the complaint.
The three victims had to be carried out on stretchers, police said, “because they were too weak to walk.”
The man was the only person not restrained by zip ties, according to the criminal complaint.
There is a warrant out for the man’s arrest. He has been charged with three counts of kidnapping, three counts of assault and two counts of abuse of an elderly person, according to court records.
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 11:25 AM with the headline "Man ties up family members during argument, starves them for days, Missouri cops say."
