FORTY FORT, Pa. — Two foster parents in Luzerne County are facing charges after police say they beat a child and locked him in a basement for days without food.
Sean Williams, 48, and Dana Williams, 57, of Forty Fort, are locked up in Luzerne County. Both face child endangerment charges.
According to court papers, this all started in July when workers with Luzerne County Children and Youth reported a 13-year-old foster child missing from this home on Wyoming Avenue in Forty Fort.
Police say Sean and Dana Williams lied about the child being in Georgia with other family members.
"They locked him in the basement. They had deprived him of food, and they had abused him on repeated occasions," said Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce.
The charges come after Luzerne County Children and Youth workers reported a 13-year-old foster child missing from the couple's home on Wyoming Avenue in Forty Fort.
"They were able to determine the child was, in fact, locked in the house in a hidden away location."
Sean Williams is accused of beating the child and locking him in the basement without food for days at a time.
According to court papers, the victim was one of three foster children in the home. They are all now in protective custody.
"The entire time of them having care, I believe there was a total of five children in the home. Three, total at the time, when we became a part of the investigation," said Det. Neil Murphy.
One of the children in the couple's care told police the victim was thrown down the stairs and choked when he yelled.
"This is one of the more disturbing cases that I've seen, and think about how the children are being treated by the people that are charged with their custody. And to think about this young child being locked in the basement, deprived of food, being strangled. As far as these allegations are concerned, with really no way out by the person who was supposed to look out for him, the two people supposed to look out for him," Sanguedolce said.
The DA added that this is an ongoing investigation with more charges possible.
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