"Couple Chained and Tortured 17 Year Old Boy" - Who Escaped And Wandered Into A Nearby Fitness Center Bloodied And Shackled
By Synthia Esther
Dec. 2, 2008 —
A California couple has been arrested and charged with kiddnapping and torturing a 17 year old boy, who managed to escape from their home Monday. The young boy was bloodied, buised, covered in soot, urine and feces, and arrived at the In Shape City Sopts Club around 4:00 p.m. Monday. He was wearing only flesh colored boxer shorts and was shackled at the ankle. He was begging an employee to hide him, according to Robinson. Local reports state some witnesses said the boy had jumped over a fence to get to the fitness center. Employees called 911, as the boy curled into a fetal posititon underneath the counter and they wrapped the boy in towels and led him to the manager's office where they gave him food and water. "The staff noticed blood and bruising on his body, and he looked emaciated and had a chain locked to his ankle," said Matt Robinson, spokesman for the Tracy Police Department.
"The boy was confused and didn't know where he was or how long he had been held against his will," he told ABCNews.com. "I thought it was a prank costume," assistant manager Lea Leonardo told the Tri-Valley Herald. "He was so dirty and had the chain around his foot. His feet were swollen, he was terrified and cold. He kept saying, 'They're going to come find me.' He kept saying that over and over."
Arrested were Kelly Lau Schumacher, 30, and her husband, Michael Schumacher, 34, who lived a few blocks from the fitness center. Police are also looking for a third suspect, Karen Ramirez, 43, who has a felony record and may be the boy's aunt, according to police. According to ABC NEWS writer Susan Donaldson James, the couple faces five felony charges: conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor, torture, kidnapping, false imprisonment by violence and child beating. Chuck Ellis, an employee at In-Shape City Sports Club, told The Associated Press that "He was totally terrified." Ellis said the teenager, who looked no older than 10 or 12, told him he was picked up after running away from the foster home to look for his family and that he was held for almost a year.
Police said the boy's left ankle was padlocked with a chain and his leg appeared to be cut. He didn't know where he was but knew his name and birthday. According to Police, They took the boy to Sutter Tracy Community Hospital, where he was treated for cuts and "other injuries," some of which may have been from sexual abuse. "We want to make sure he gets the proper medical attention necessary," said Robinson. Hospital spokesman Karen Mudd would not provide any other details to ABCNews.com and said the boy was being held in "protective services."
After interviewing the boy, police determined he had been kept at a house "down the street" and knocked on the door of the Schumachers, interviewing the couple and arresting them. By midnight, police had obtained a search warrant for the house and pressed charges. Police continue to interview Kelly Lau-Schumacher, while her husband is in custody at the San Joaquin County jail. The couple will appear in court Dec. 4. Meanwhile, four children -- ages, 1, 3, 11 and 9 -- were also taken from the house, according to police. Police said the boy had previously been reported missing from a group foster home in Sacramento since 2007, but they had no idea how long he had been there or where his family was.
KELLY LAU SCHUMACHER WRITES ON HER MYSPACE PAGE:
About me:
30 yr. old mom of 4 beautiful kids Shayna-9, Savannah-4, Damon-2 and Michael Jr. who just turned one.......Happily married to a man who I love to death. He is my best friend and a wonderful father to our 4 kids and I wouldn't trade him for anything in this world. We live in Northern California where I am a stay at home mom and my husband is a Contractor. We have a typical life I guess-our oldest daughter is involved with Girl Scouts and Savannah is our Ballerina in training. My boys just kick back and wait there turn to do something fun. We have a dog named BUBBA and no white picket fence but our neighbor has one. LOL!!!!!!
" Deception is an evil vice" - Synthia Esther
BOYS SUFFER FROM ABUSE AND SEXUAL ABUSE, JUST AS GIRLS DO....
