Utah boy 'starved to death after being locked up at home and fed piece of bread with mustard'

A tragic case has emerged from Utah, where a 12-year-old boy was found dead, apparently "starved to death" in his father's residence after enduring what is believed to be prolonged abuse. On July 9, the Webster County Sheriff's Office received an emergency call about Gavin Peterson , who was reported as "not breathing" and had been suffering from continuous "vomiting".

When law enforcement and medical teams arrived at the West Haven home, they discovered Gavin lifeless on the bathroom floor . Despite attempts to revive him, he was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.

Shane Peterson, the boy's 46-year-old father, his stepmother Nichole Scott, aged 50, and Gavin's 21-year-old brother Tyler Peterson have all been detained in relation to the young boy's demise, which authorities attribute to "a prolonged pattern of abuse over the course of several years."

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According to the affidavit , video surveillance and text exchanges among the family members revealed the harrowing details of Gavin's last days. The severely malnourished child was allegedly given only "a piece of bread with mustard" to eat, "one-third cup of water" to drink, and was forbidden from using the bathroom, reports the Mirror US .

The report revealed chilling details of the abuse, including discussions about "hitting or beating" Gavin with a "pinata stick". It also mentioned how Gavin's bedroom door was kept locked and he had to knock to be let out.

The suspects were heard discussing feeding the child only a third of a cup of water, a piece of bread with mustard, or not feeding him at all. "They also talk about how the door to the child's bedroom is locked and how he has to knock on his door in order to leave. When talking about feeding the child victim, the three suspects talk about only giving the child one-third of a cup of water, only giving him a piece of bread and mustard, or not feeding him food at all. All of this messaging and evidence revealed a prolonged pattern of abuse over the course of several years," the affidavit stated.

Tyler texted his father saying that Gavin wasn't breathing and asked for advice, according to the affidavit. "The deputy noted that the bathroom floor was wet and the child's skin was cold to the touch," it read.

"Nichole and Shane reported that the child had been ill for several days, experiencing vomiting and seizures, but was not taken to a doctor. On the day of the incident, Nichole found the child in his bedroom, covered in vomit, and assisted him into the shower."

Doctors at the hospital discovered that Gavin's body was severely malnourished to the point where his internal organs had completely shut down. His body was visibly emaciated, as per the affidavit.

Home surveillance footage reportedly shows Tyler paying three visits to a garden shed whilst on the phone to 911. Chilling snapshots found on Nichole's mobile capture the grim living conditions little Gavin endured.

"In most of the screenshots, the child is only wearing a heavily saturated diaper. The child can be seen curling up on the carpet-less floor of the room, which lacked bedding or blankets. Several screenshots also showed sores on the child's back. The room appeared to have multiple cameras, as the infrared lights from other devices were visible in the screenshots. The photo also showed the door handle with a locking mechanism positioned on the outside of the room," the arrest report read.

Gavin's mother, Melanie Peterson, opened up to KSL TV, revealing that legal custody of her son had been granted to his father Shane, after she lost custody of all four of her children between 2014 and 2015 due to a drug-related offence. Despite serving her sentence fully, she wasn't able to win back custody of her kids.

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Shane, Nicole and Tyler are currently being detained without bail at Weber County Jail, as reported by the Daily Mail. Shane and Nichole have been charged with child abuse homicide, two counts of aggravated child abuse, and child endangerment.

Additionally, Nichole is facing charges related to drug possession and investigation obstruction of justice. Tyler has been arrested on charges of child abuse homicide, two counts of aggravated child abuse, and obstruction of justice.

In the meantime, Melanie's family are attempting to raise $30,000 through a GoFundMe page to cover funeral costs and therapy for her older children.

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