An Ohio woman has been arrested in the death of her autistic teenage son, police said.
The boy’s adoptive mother, Tamera Moore, 52, was arrested April 12 on charges of murder and endangering children, according to a news release from the Springfield Township Police Department.
The 16-year-old was found dead on Feb. 6, and his death was ruled a homicide following an autopsy, WXIX reported.
The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office said the teen was starved and chained to a cot with no food in his digestive tract, according to WXIX.
The teen was “denied food for a significant amount of time” before his death, WLWT reported.
“He can’t help himself,” a neighbor told the station. “They took advantage of that and I think that that was really messed up,” she said.
McClatchy News contacted the prosecutor’s office but did not immediately receive a response.
Springfield Township police said they are looking for 58-year-old William Turnage, Moore’s boyfriend, in connection to the teen’s death.
Turnage is wanted on charges of murder, endangering a child, involuntary manslaughter and failure to report a crime, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Springfield Township Police Department at 513-729-1300.
Springfield Township is about a 15-mile drive north from Cincinnati.
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