Two Indiana parents named Melody Rose Greenwood, 38, and Adam Jon Greenwood, 36, have been arrested and charged with neglect after it was discovered that their 10-year-old son had suffered abuse allegedly perpetrated by them. Among said abuse, court records allege that the Greenwoods zip-tied the child and forced his seven siblings to beat him.
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The Star Press reports that the Greenwoods first took the 10-year-old to Muncie's IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital. What was supposed to be a regular exam quickly worried doctors as they identified that the boy was heavily malnourished and had suffered child abuse.
The police would then pay a visit to the Greenwood residence, finding that the boy was extremely skinny. When interviewing Melody, she would allegedly tell officers that the boy was grounded. Moreover, court records reported by FOX 59, reveal that the 10-year-old was only fed canned food. Meanwhile, the rest of his siblings were fed normal food, including fast food which was "prohibited" to the boy. The other children could spend all day watching TV, while the 10-year-old wasn't allowed any screen time.
Reportedly, all eight children were homeschooled. However, as per the outlet, two of the older siblings were in charge of their sibling's education. Said education would only entail reading three chapters of a book a day.
Police officers interviewed the boy's siblings, revealing that, out of the Greenwood children, the 10-year-old was the only one treated poorly. Unfortunately, the allegations didn't stop on what is called "nutritional neglect." The child was also allegedly subjected to physical abuse and humiliation.
Child Abuse
The siblings would reveal to police that his mother, Melody Greenwood, would force him to stand for hours facing the wall. On one occasion, Melodyu allegedly zip-tied his hands behind his back, while Melody prepared the bed for her other children. The boy would stay with the zip-ties for the entire night. Eventually, Melody cut them with scissors, leaving scars on his wrists, per the court records.
Moreover, court records would also allege that the boy was forced to stand against the wall for periods. He would stay standing for as long as 12 hours. If he talked or faced away from the away, his other siblings would beat him, as ordered by the Greenwoods.
As a result of the investigation, Melody and Adam Greenwood were arrested. Melody was charged with two counts of level 5 felony neglect of a dependent and a count of level 6 felony neglect of a dependent. Adam was charged with one count of level 5 neglect of a dependent and one count of level 6 felony neglect of a dependent.
Both parents have been released after posting bail. According to the New York Post, the Indiana Department of Child Services is currently probing the allegations.
