Couple Arrested, Tortured 15-Year-Old Girl In Home: Report

CUDAHY, WI -- The father and step-mother of a 15-year-old Cudahy girl face multiple charges after authorities say their child was found beaten, burned, malnourished and living in squalor in their home.

According to court documents filed in Milwaukee County, Kevin and Felicia Boon of Cudahy face six felony charges, including chronic neglect of a child - emotional damage, false imprisonment, physical abuse of a child and causing mental harm.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County, police were called to the Boon's house on the 3600 block of Lunham Ave. on the afternoon of Dec. 5 on a report that a girl was throwing boiling water onto another girl.

According to reports, when officers knocked on the door, they heard someone inside say, "hurry up dad! The police are here and knocking on the front and back door. I don't know what to do."

When police entered the house and attempted to go upstairs to investigate, the officer on-scene was first blocked by family members. After being allowed upstairs, the officer reported being "overwhelmed by the odor of urine and feces."

According to the criminal complaint, a 15-year-old girl exited the upstairs room in tattered clothes. She walked with a limp, had bruising to her right eye, upper lip and had cuts on her face and head. When police asked her what happened, family tried preventing the girl from even answering, reports stated.

When the 15-year-old girl did speak, she reportedly told the officer, “I can’t tell you. If I tell you, you cannot let me go back here” and “they will hurt me really bad," according to the criminal complaint.

According to police, what happened next "shocked" the officer: he saw that she had been doused with scalding water and had burns on her torso and feet. There was also evidence that she had been tied up by her wrists, according to reports.

When police investigated further, they learned that the girl's siblings were also involved in her mistreatment: one child admitted to hitting the girl more than 20 times in the face and hitting her with a metal pole between seven to eight times.

Also according to the criminal complaint, police learned that the girl had been locked in her bedroom for long periods of time, and often fed as little as one meal per day.

According to the criminal complaint, during her hospitalization, investigators say the girl admitted she suffered multiple types of mistreatment that were consistent with the diagnosis of torture, including: use of physical restraints; food and water deprivation; forced ingestion of excrement; restricted access to the toilet and personal hygiene; isolation and solitary confinement; beating with a metal pole, and burning. Investigators said she had visible evidence of physical abuse, for which medical treatment was not sought.

Kevin and Felicia Boon posted $10,000 cash bond, according to online court records. Their next hearing is Jan. 7 for a preliminary hearing in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

Image Via Milwaukee County Jail