An Arizona couple was arrested and charged this week after eyewitnesses called police to report seeing a neglected toddler inside a convenience store.
The boy, who was around 3 years old, had his arms tightly bound with a bungee cord when he was spotted at a QuikTrip late Sunday.
Police responded to the scene and removed the elastic cord which left red bruising on the child's arms; Officers then noticed that the child's diaper was extremely soiled and took the child to a hospital to receive treatment and care.
Nurses at the hospital told officers that the diaper was stuck to the boy's skin and that they had to peel it off the body.
The boy's mom and her “extremely paranoid” boyfriend claimed that they were homeless and trying to clean the toddler in the store's bathroom. They were arrested on child neglect charges.
