Parents allegedly forced adopted boy to live in camper: Docs

WALKERTON, Ind. — Two parents in Northwest Indiana were charged after allegedly abandoning their 13-year-old adopted son and forcing him to live in a camper at times.

Richard and Patricia Heitz, of Walkerton, are facing two counts of neglect of a dependent involving abandonment or cruel confinement.

The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation on July 18 after receiving a report from the Department of Child Services.

DCS received a report earlier in the month stating that the 13-year-old adopted son of the couple was allegedly neglected and physically abused.

A caseworker was then assigned to investigate the allegations.

On July 6, court documents state the Heitzs took the boy to Memorial Epworth Hospital, located in South Bend, and reported to the staff that he had “become violent and needed help managing his mental health.”

The 13-year-old was then placed on an acute hold for seven days. Later that day, documents state the case worker arrived to the Heitz’s home.

Patricia stated the boy’s mental health has “deteriorated” and she did not want him around the other two children in the home.

Both parents then stated they did not want their adopted son to return home, documents state.

Richard reportedly denied all allegations of physical abuse and acknowledged the consequences of refusing his son to return home.

The case manager interviewed the two other children in the home who stated they felt safe with the parents and did not feel safe around the 13-year-old.

DCS received two new reports alleging the boy was a victim of neglect on July 12 and 13. The reports stated the Heitzs allegedly knew the boy was being discharged from the hospital that day but were refusing to pick him up.

No alternative arrangements were made, documents state.

The case manager then called Patricia where she again allegedly refused to pick up the boy and said he needs more help than the couple can provide. She admitted they did not enroll the boy in therapy or seek assistance for medication management, documents state.

Patricia acknowledged she and her husband would be abandoning the boy.

“There’s nothing you can do about it,” Patricia allegedly told the case manager.

She further stated the couple “made a plan” for their other two children if they were to be arrested, documents state.

The following day, the case manager spoke with a counselor at the hospital the boy was staying at who said he did not show any violent behaviors.

Police became aware that the boy was born with cocaine in his system and he has Prader Willi Syndrome — which is a genetic disorder causing obesity, intellectual disability and shortness in height. Hormonal symptoms include delayed puberty and constant hunger.

On July 19, the younger children in the home were court-ordered to speak with detectives.

One of them told police the 13-year-old would have to sleep in the family’s camper outside for “a couple of days” when the boy got in trouble. The other one said he didn’t want the boy to come back because he was “mean.”

The 13-year-old was interviewed by police on July 22. In that interview, the boy said he was forced to sleep in the camper several times. On two separate occasions, he alleges he was forced to sleep in the camper for a week and 10 days respectively.

The camper did not have electricity or heat and the boy stated there was a bathroom, but he wasn’t allowed to use it. Instead, the boy reportedly had to use grocery bags to defecate in.

The boy alleged to police that both Richard and Patricia struck him on the buttocks using a paddle that was behind a recliner.

Following the boy’s interview with police, an arrest warrant was issued for the couple.

They were arrested on July 30 and pleaded not guilty on Friday. A jury trial is scheduled for next year and the couple bonded out of jail, according to court records.

WGN News has reached out to DCS for more information .

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