Two “abnormally skinny” and bruised children showed up in the early morning hours to Socastee area home saying they had been dropped off at a nearby coffee shop, according to an Horry County Police report.
The younger brother said they had been dropped of at a Dunkin’ around sunset on May 5 and walked to a house in the 6000 block of Bay Road around 12:30 a.m. May 6. The nearest Dunkin’ is a mile and a half from the house.
The two boys, whose ages were not released, were knocking on the side door and the woman at the home told them to go the front door. When she opened her door to the two boys, one said he and his brother were cold and hungry and didn’t know where they were.
They said they don’t know the man who left them but that he had kept them in a locked room “for extended periods during the previous summer.”
The police report said the children were “abnormally skinny” and the kids told police they were given one peanut butter sandwich every one to two days. They both had bruising along their backs, lacerations in various parts of their bodies, potential infections and scars.
It appears from the police report that officers were able to locate people caring for the children.
One of the suspects stated he heard the children leave from the front door and saw them walking toward the entrance gate, according to the police report. Another suspect said they had been taking care of the boys for around five years and had seven other children in the home. A walk through by police was then done.
As of Monday morning, the case is still active and there have been no known arrests, according to Horry County spokesperson Aaron Spelbring.
Source Agencies
