Ziering, Iowa — Four members of a rural Iowa family are accused of kidnapping and abusing their 18-year-old relative, who was handcuffed to a bed and severely malnourished after being beaten so severely that he suffered a brain bleed and multiple broken ribs. It was done. According to court documents, he weighed just 70 pounds when he arrived at the hospital earlier this year.
Gary Graham Jr., 44, Daniel Graham, 42, Aaron Williams, 20, and a 16-year-old girl, all of Ziering, Iowa, were charged Monday with first-degree kidnapping and manslaughter. was charged with a crime. They will have a preliminary hearing on March 29. A judge issued an order prohibiting him from having contact with the alleged victim, according to court records. The teen is being charged as an adult, but The Associated Press is not naming her because of her age.
The Storey County public defender's office supervisor said a defense attorney will be assigned, but not yet.
The house sits on the edge of a residential neighborhood in Ziering, a community of 500 people about 80 miles north of Des Moines. Farmland, windmills, and dirt roads are nearby. Stickers were pasted on the front door and side door of the ranch-style home, and Christmas lights still hung on the roof. A dog barked from inside, but no one answered when the reporter knocked on the door.
The allegations shocked the community, Story County Sheriff's Capt. Nicholas Rennie said Tuesday.
“It's tragic. Our whole community is in shock, and rightfully so,” Rennie said. “It is not normal for one human being to treat another human being this way, much less a family member.Sadly, the victims of this incident are living in a place most of us would consider a safe place. I endured months of abuse and confinement in a place where I was at home: my home.”
Court documents do not specifically state what relationship the boy had with other family members, but the search warrant application says Gary Graham Jr. is not the boy's biological father. It is stated that. Renee declined to comment on the specifics of their relationship.
The teenager has now been released from hospital, but “he is still recovering and will be for some time,” Rennie said.
On January 27, an Ames hospital called the sheriff's office about an 18-year-old patient who was severely malnourished and had suffered multiple injuries, including a brain bleed, broken ribs, bruises, and wounds all over his body. An affidavit filed in the case states that the boy arrived at the hospital in a “semi-conscious to unconscious state.”
Medical workers determined the wounds were in various stages of healing, indicating they did not all occur at the same time, the document said.
According to court documents, Daniel Graham told police that the boy left home in November when he turned 18, but that she didn't hear from him until he showed up at her home on January 26th, saying he was in such bad condition. He said he was worried he would die. She said she and Williams drove the boy to the hospital.
But the affidavit said a search warrant revealed cell phone messages, videos and photos showing the 18-year-old had never left his home and was being abused by relatives. .
The boy told investigators that he was physically abused by Gary Graham Jr. and Williams. He said he was handcuffed to his bed during the night and often during the day, with no one to help him. Police said Amazon.com orders from Daniel Graham's account showed the purchase and delivery of handcuffs, leg shackles and handcuff keys.
In a search warrant application, officers wrote that a career guidance counselor said the teenager was receiving schooling online but apparently tried to attend classes in person.
The counselor provided police with an Oct. 19 email in which the boy asked the counselor to “email his mother and ask if he could come to school” for a class. Then he added, “Please don't say it was my idea, thank you.” ”
A week later, the boy wrote to the counselor again, saying, “I won't let you go unless you have to,” followed by a letter asking, “Can you please request that I go to school?” the search warrant application states. It was dark.
According to court records, Gary Graham Jr. was convicted of domestic violence (second offense) in 2009 and subsequently spent two years in prison. Separately, in 2017, Gary Graham Jr.'s divorce agreement with another woman was amended to give the woman sole custody. A child “by abuse” by Graham.