The adopted parents of a 15-year-old boy were arrested for allegedly keeping the boy locked in his room and making him use the room as a restroom since he was 5 years old, authorities said.
El Paso police officers arrested Richard Ramirez, 51, and Nora Ramirez, 52, on Friday, June 13, on one count each of unlawful restraint, El Paso Police Department spokesperson Det. Judy Oviedo wrote in a news release.
Richard Ramirez, left, and Nora Ramirez were arrested on suspicion of unlawful restraint of a child under 17 years old for allegedly locking their adopted son, 15, in a room and forcing him to use the restroom in the room since he was at least five years old.
No attorneys are listed for the couple in court records.
Officers conducted a welfare check on the boy on Wednesday, June 11, at a home in the 12200 block of Tierra Mar Way near Joe Battle Boulevard in Far East El Paso. The welfare check was conducted over allegations that the boy was “being neglected and confined by his adoptive parents,” the news release states.
The boy told officers he was “routinely locked in his bedroom for extended periods and was forced to use the restroom within his room,” the news release states. The boy was allegedly let out of his room for dinner and was immediately returned to his room afterward.
“This pattern of treatment had been ongoing since he was approximately 5 years old,” the news release states.
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El Paso Police Department’s Crimes Against Children Unit took over the investigation “due to the serious nature of the allegations,” the news release states. No further information was released on the case as police continue to investigate the allegations.
Richard and Nora Ramirez were arrested Friday, June 13, on one count each of unlawful restraint of a child under 17 years old. They were each booked into the El Paso County Jail on $100,000 bonds, jail records show. They were released the next day after posting bail, jail logs show.
No information was released on who currently has custody of the boy.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on X/Twitter @AMartinezEPT.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso parents arrested for allegedly ‘routinely’ locking son in room