A couple from Hardin County is under scrutiny for allegations of child abuse.
“I’ve been in this for 37 years, and this is the worst case of child abuse I’ve ever seen,” said Detective Kenneth Mattingly of the Radcliff Police Department.
An inquiry was initiated after a five-year-old boy was admitted to the hospital in critical condition as a result of extreme malnourishment. A 32-year-old man named Joshua Inman and his 33-year-old girlfriend, Whitney Young, were taken into custody on Tuesday on Hamilton Street, facing charges related to the mistreatment of a child.
Officials took action by removing two additional children from the residence and transferring them to Child Protective Services.
“We have a child that was gravely ill, and it’s being classified as a near-fatal injury or a near-fatal situation because of what transpired in that home,” said Mattingly. “So we’re definitely looking into the condition of the other children that lived there.”
Authorities learned about the child’s situation when family friends of Young took the boy to the hospital on Monday. He was experiencing health problems due to a lack of proper nutrition.
“If they had not come forward and taken this child to the hospital, he’d probably be dead,” said Mattingly.
While examining the residence of the couple, authorities uncovered additional evidence. A convicted felon was discovered with a firearm, and there were signs of additional unlawful activities taking place at the residence.
“During the execution of a search warrant to recover evidence for the criminal abuse charge, we located evidence of a drug, possibly a drug trafficking organization, that Mr. Inman was involved in,” said Mattingly.
While Mattingly refrained from sharing additional specifics regarding the current investigation, he emphasized the critical role of community awareness.
“I don’t know if people had seen this young boy in this situation, but it was very obvious when I first saw him that something was clearly wrong with him,” said Mattingly.
The Radcliff Police Department reports that their investigation is ongoing.