Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!
Parents Of Ohio Mom Accused Of Starving, Abusing Stepson Are Now Facing Charges Too
Amy Rodriguez Dangel and Anthony Dangel are already charged in with the abuse of Anthony's teen son, but Amy's parents Armin and Susan Rodriguez participated in the alleged abuse as well, according to authorities.
The parents of an Ohio stepmom facing allegations she abused her 13-year-old stepson so severely authorities said he resembled a concentration camp victim have also been charged in the case after prosecutors said they too “recklessly tortured or cruelly abused the victim.”
Armin and Susan Rodriguez are now facing charges of endangering children and complicity in the disturbing abuse case that has left the teen with a limp and suffering from intense pain and emotional trauma, WXIX-TV reports.
Hamilton County prosecutors announced in February that the the boy’s stepmother, Amy Rodriguez Dangel and biological father, Anthony Dangel, had been arrested, as Oxygen.com previously reported.
Amy is facing 11 counts of child endangerment after prosecutors said she forced the victim to stand in the corner for days, strapped the child to his bed, refused to let him use the restroom, beat him with belts and spoons and withheld food from teen. The boy weighed just 61 pounds at the age of 12 and was described by an assistant prosecutor as looking as though he had come from a concentration camp, according to local station WKRC.
Anthony, a former lieutenant with the Miami Township Fire Department, has been accused of failing to stop the abuse and is facing one count of child endangerment.
Both pleaded not guilty in March.
But prosecutors now say the abuse also extends to the boy’s step-grandparents, who are accused of forcing him to stand in a spare room for hours, while they monitored him with cameras.
He allegedly wasn’t allowed to use the restroom and investigators said the pair also starved the boy and beat him with a belt.
“It’s heartbreaking to think that anyone would be abused and much less be abused by somebody that’s trusted and loved,” said Delhi Lt. Joe Macaluso told WXIX-TV. “It was heartbreaking to investigate, and I’m happy that we’re able to have some kind of conclusion with this indictment.”
The couple are also facing complicity charges after prosecutors allege that they “aided of abetted Amy Dangel to commit the offense of endangering children.”
“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,” Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said. “We will do everything in our power to ensure no child suffers at the hands of the Rodriguez family again.”
Oxygen.com reached out to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s office to learn more about the allegations but did not receive an immediate response.
The teen boy, whose biological mother died in 2016 according to WXIX, is now living with relatives. His family has said he is facing a long road to recovery and still struggles with after-effects of the abuse.
