The parents of an 11-year-old boy who was found to weigh about 36 pounds in Florida are accused of starving him, forcing him to exercise and making him “stand in his room all day,” court documents say.
Brandon Palmore and his wife, Shantell Palmore, were each arrested on Thursday, March 5, on charges of child neglect with great bodily harm in connection with the alleged mistreatment of their 11-year-old son, who is one of their four children, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Court records viewed by Us Weekly on Tuesday, March 10, did not indicate whether Brandon, 40, or Shantell, 38, had hired attorneys who could speak on their behalf.
Brandon serves as a second lieutenant for the U.S. Air Force, according to the Pensacola News Journal, which reports he is stationed at Duke Field, known as Eglin Air Force Base Auxiliary Field #3, located in Okaloosa County.
Authorities began investigating Brandon and Shantell, who live in Milton, after their 11-year-old son was being treated at a hospital for “severe caloric malnourishment” in December, according to an arrest report obtained by Us.
During an interview in December, the boy told an investigator that he has three sisters, ages 5, 6 and 11, who “behave better than he does,” the arrest report says.
The boy described how he “spends a lot of time in his room,” is often confined to the upstairs of his home and is forced by his parents to exercise “to the point where his legs and arms hurt,” according to the report.
The 11-year-old also detailed not being allowed to access the pantry while his sisters were allowed to “get snacks at any time” from there, the report states.
One of his sisters told investigators during a forensic interview that her brother “must stay in his room,” which “has a camera, a bed, a blue table, and a toy thing,” according to the arrest report.
The sister told investigators that his bed lacked sheets, covers and a pillow because “of the things he’s been doing lately, like stealing, lying, and blaming,” the arrest report says.
She also noted that her brother was forced to do mountain climbers “all night” and that he is not allowed second servings of meals because “he might overeat,” according to the arrest report. The girl said that she and her sisters, however, were allowed second servings of meals, the arrest report says.
Another one of the boy’s sisters told investigators that he “is on punishment and has to stand in his room all day,” and that there is “a gate located upstairs in the hallway” so he “cannot get out,” the arrest report states.
This sister said that her brother “has to do pushups and leg climbers” and that he “is not allowed to sit down” in his room “or their mom gets angry,” according to the filing. She also said her brother “eats expired bread and eats rice and beans for breakfast but does not eat lunch or dinner,” and that “she and her sisters are allowed to have more food.”
The girl told investigators that her parents watch her brother through the camera inside his bedroom to make sure he is standing up, according to the arrest report. If her parents see “him sit or lay down” while “he is supposed to be standing, they go to spank him,” according to the arrest report.
When the boy was interviewed, he said that he was being homeschooled after he was taken out of school for “misbehaving,” the report states.
A teacher at the boy’s previous school was interviewed by law enforcement and reported that she had previously alerted the Department of Children and Families because he was constantly hungry and “stealing food” at school, according to the arrest report.
Following the boy’s hospitalization in December, the Department of Children and Families notified law enforcement of his malnourishment, the arrest report says.
A doctor ultimately determined that the boy’s “low weight” was the result of “inadequate nutrition/improper feeding,” according to authorities.
Brandon and Shantell are due in court for their arraignments, which were scheduled for April 2, court records show.
Milton is located in the Florida Panhandle, about a 110-mile drive northwest from Panama City Beach.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
