- Three Moab residents face charges for child torture involving severe malnutrition.
- The boy was allegedly locked in a dog kennel and subjected to physical abuse.
- Authorities removed the boy from the home Oct. 29 and placed him in protective custody.
MOAB — Two men and a woman are accused of severely malnourishing a young boy and locking him in a dog kennel.
Jennifer Perkins, 48, Jeremiah James Perkins, 39, and Jonathan William Jarman, 28, were all charged in 7th District Court on Monday with child torture, a first-degree felony.
Jeremiah Perkins — the boy's father — and Jennifer Perkins — the boy's stepmother — became the boy's guardians in March. Jarman is Jennifer Perkins' son. All three live together in the same trailer in Moab.
The 11-year-old boy "began drastically losing weight" in July, according to charging documents.
Police say they also started to receive reports of "educational neglect" and "psychological abuse" when the boy was sent to school wearing T-shirts that had "a nonfavorable depiction of his mother" printed on them, the charges state.
On Oct. 15, the boy was questioned by Moab police and the Division of Child and Family Services, which both noted that he was "frail and skeletal-like, with his skin sunken into his person," according to the charges.
The boy was removed from the Perkins' home and taken into state protective custody on Oct. 29. The boy was further diagnosed by doctors with "severe non-illness malnutrition and refeeding syndrome" and was taken to a hospital in Utah County for further treatment, the charges state. The boy had lost 11 pounds, or 13% of his body weight, in five months.
"The victim, due to the extreme loss of weight, had snuck and consumed items that were of great medical concern, including Tums, DayQuil and various toothpaste types, which caused him to be sick. (The Perkins) did not seek medical care for the victim after the victim consumed the previously listed products. Jennifer is an employee of the local hospital, and when asked why she did not seek any medical attention for the victim, she stated that she did not want anyone to get in trouble," according to her charges.
The Perkins told investigators that they had placed the boy "on a vegan diet ... only mainly consisting of vegetables and rice."
The boy further told police that he was locked in a dog kennel four times that was secured with zip ties, according to court documents.
Jeremiah Perkins claimed that as the boy's weight and health declined, the boy acted up and "he had placed the victim in a dog kennel and secured it so he could get some sleep," the charges state.
The boy also described times that he was punished for allegedly not obeying Perkins and "was forced to remove his clothes to only his underwear, was hog-tied via metal handcuffs which were placed on his wrists and ankles and then tied together via a rope which was used by Jeremiah for easy transportation of the victim, where he was placed on a cold vent in Jeremiah's bedroom. A black ball gag was placed over his mouth and face, and was explained that it was to prevent him from biting. The victim stated that he attempted to bite Jennifer and the ball was subsequently placed on his mouth and face," according to the charges.
Investigators noted the boy had bruises and scratches on his hips, legs and feet, which he said he got from trying to get away from the cold vent while being hog tied. The boy said, on at least one occasion, that Jennifer Perkins sat on him while he was on the vent, according to court documents. And he was forced to take cold showers about a half-dozen times.
Prosecutors say Jarman "lived with the victim … (and) was aware and actively participated in the abuse and torture of the victim. Jonathan was aware that the victim was on a vegan diet and was only being fed rice, beans and vegetables, and was denied having other foods," his charges state.
When the boy's health declined, "Jonathan was aware and did not intervene in helping the victim or seeking external help for the victim."
