18-Year-Old Who Weighed 70 lbs. Came to Hospital Seriously Injured, 4 Family Members Accused of Kidnapping Him
The teen told police he "would be handcuffed to the bed during the night and frequently during the day," according to a probable cause affidavit
Members of an Iowa family are charged with abusing an 18-year-old relative who weighed only 70 pounds when he turned up with traumatic injuries at a hospital.
Gary Graham Jr., 44, Danielle Graham, 42, Aaron Williams, 20, and 16-year-old Kaitlynn Williams are charged with first-degree kidnapping and willful injury, according to the Story County Sheriff's Office.
The case came to light on Jan. 27 when a Des Moines area hospital contacted police about the teen who was suffering from multiple traumatic injuries, including a brain bleed, rib fractures and bruising and wounds all over his body.
Hospital staff told police that the teen had “different stages of injuries, as well as different stages of healing, indicating that the injuries did not occur at the same time” and weighed 70 pounds due to severe malnourishment, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.
Danielle Graham allegedly told sheriff’s investigators that the teen moved out of their Zearing home in late November after he turned 18 — claiming that he "showed back up to their residence in the condition that he was in" on Jan. 26.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
"Danielle stated 'I thought he was dying' when she saw the condition that [he] was in," per the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, investigators found video evidence on Kaitlynn Williams’ cell phone dated Dec. 2 that showed the teen allegedly standing in his bedroom with athletic tape around his wrists.
“[The teen] appeared to be malnourished at the time,” per the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, the teen’s bunkbed can be seen in the video. “3 eye-bolts can be seen attached to the bunk bed frame. Connected to the eye-bolts are 2 pair of black handcuffs and a pair of shackles,” the affidavit states.
Investigators also allegedly discovered messages, videos, pictures and search history by family members that indicated all four were “aware and/or participated in the abuse and malnourishment.”
“These messages ranged from ‘Don’t hit him in the nuts anymore at [least] wait [until] swollen goes down’ and ‘hit him again and tell him to stop giving you dirty looks’ followed up by an additional message of ‘1 more time,” per the affidavit.
The teen told police that he never left home and “would be handcuffed to the bed during the night and frequently during the day.”
Gary Graham Jr., Danielle Graham, and Aaron Williams are being held on a $1 million bond, per WHO13. Kaitlynn Williams is being held on a $500,000 bond.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 29, per WHO13.
It is unclear if they have enter pleas or retained attorneys.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.