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Armin and Susan Rodriguez, the step-grandparents of a 13-year-old boy, have been charged with a string of allegations after they reportedly tortured their step-grand-son.
In a case of severe cruelty against a child, the Ohio couple mentally and physically abused their step-grandson, exposing him to what prosecutors are describing as conditions comparable to a ’concentration camp'. According to WITN, the child’s stepmother Amy Dangel facilitated the violence against the child. Along with Armin and Susan Rodriguez, she is said to have starved the child, tied him to a bed, and beaten him with belts and spoons.
Armin and Susan Rodriguez have been detained along with their daughter, who has been indicted on 11 counts of endangering children. The father’s child, Anthony Dangel, a former lieutenant with the Miami Township Fire Department, has been accused of allowing the abuse to take place. He was indicted for one count of endangering children.
What did Armin and Susan Rodriguez do?
According to Delhi Police Lt. Joe Macaluso, Armin and Susan Rodriguez were involved in one of the worst cases of child abuse he had seen. They are the parents of Amy Rodriguez, also a former employee of the Miami Township Fire department.
Initially, prosecutors believed Armin and Susan Rodriguez had only aided Amy in torturing the child. However, Fox19 reported that investigators now believe they played an active role in beating and starving the boy. They are also accused of punishing him by making him stand in a spare room, not allowing him to use the bathroom for hours at a time.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said of the case:
“The torture perpetrated on this young child is unimaginable. He is safe now and with family members who love him. I hope, in time, he will heal from the horrible things that have been done to him. We will do everything in our power to ensure no child suffers at the hands of the Roriguez family again.”
He added:
“It was heart-breaking to investigate.”
Court records stated:
“(The couple) recklessly tortured or cruelly abused the victim.”
During the arraignment, authorities described a particular beating the family was involved in. Allegedly, Amy Dangel made other children in the house count the number of times she struck her then 12-year-old stepson with a wooden spoon. It is claimed that she struck him 75 times.
As per court records, the family also reportedly declined to provide the boy with enough clothing, sheets or blankets. Armen and Susan Rodriguez were also allegedly involved in locking him inside refrigerators and cabinets to punish him.
How were Armin and Susan Rodriguez implicated?
According to Law and Crime, the boy was discovered by law enforcement officers after he ran away from home. When they found him bruised and emaciated, his stepmother and father were eventually compelled to seek out medical treatment.
According to WKRC, by the time the investigation began, the then 12-year-old boy weighed only 61 pounds. Assistant prosecutors said that he was experiencing PTSD and long-term damage in his legs from the extensive beatings, making it difficult for him to walk. It is not yet certain whether or not his physical condition can be treated.
According to the New York Post, the investigation into Armen and Susan Rodriguez developed based on existing charges against the victim’s stepmother and father, who were previously accused of similar abuse by another police department in February.
Macaluso said:
“When the authorities in that jurisdiction did a forensic interview with the child, he related the same time type of treatment was occurring by his step-grandparents in my jurisdiction. He would go over to his step-grandparents’ house, their daughter would say that he’s in trouble, and he’s to be in timeout or he’s grounded.”
According to prosecutors, the step grandparents would then follow their daughters’ instructions, carrying out similar abuse against the child. They are due in court on June 3rd.
