The adoptive parents of a 13-year-old boy in Indiana have been arrested for allegedly forcing the child to stay in a camper outside the house for up to 10 days at a time with no toilet as a form of punishment before abandoning him at a psychiatric hospital and refusing to pick him up after he was released.
Patricia and Richard Heitz were arrested on Wednesday and charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent, abandoning or brutally confining a dependent, according to records examined by Law&Crime.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, the Department of Child Services (DCS) initiated an investigation into the parents on July 5, 2024, after receiving a report indicating that the youngster was neglected and abused. According to the report, the boy and his two younger siblings “get ‘whoopings’ with belts and paddles on their buttocks.”
It was also claimed that the victim was forced to “eat lumpy oatmeal with vinegar” and sleep “outside in the family’s camper during the winter months with no working heat or utilities” as punishment. On July 6, the Heitzes transported the victim to the Memorial Epworth Center, a psychiatric institution for adults and adolescents aged 13 and up, where he was placed on a one-week hold.
Later that day, the parents informed DCS that the boy’s mental health had “deteriorated” in the previous six months and that they “did not want him around the other two children in the home due to his ‘aggressive’ tendencies.”
The parents denied physically abusing the youngster, claiming that all of the children had been forced to sleep in the camper at some point and that he was “in no danger.” Both parents also indicated that they did not want the victim to return home and had “acknowledged the consequences of refusing” to do so. The other two children in the home denied being physically assaulted by their parents, but claimed the victim made them feel “unsafe.”
In an interview with a child services investigator that same day, the victim stated that he disliked his adoptive parents but recognized that they were “good people.” He also reaffirmed his claims of being abused and forced to sleep in the tent.
On July 12 and 13, the Heitzs were again accused of negligence when the victim was released from the hospital and they refused to pick him up.
“Richard and Patricia were aware of the consequences for such action, and still did not make alternative arrangements,” the statement reads in part. “Patricia gave her reasoning as having to protect the other children.”
The victim’s parents said he required more assistance than they could provide, even though they had not attempted to enroll him in therapy or seek medicine to control his conduct. They stressed that they would not allow him back inside the house.
“Patricia said she and Richard intended to terminate their parental rights, and ‘There’s nothing you can do about it,'” said the declaration. “Further, Patricia stated she and Richard already made a plan for the other two children should they be arrested.”
In a subsequent interview with a forensic specialist, the victim stated that, in addition to being beaten, she was subjected to food deprivation and forced to work outside for up to eight hours every day. He also stated that he would occasionally have to stay alone in the camper for more than a week, at least twice when snow was on the ground.
“[The victim] said the camper didn’t have electricity or heat,” according to the affidavit. “He said there was a bathroom, but he wasn’t allowed to use it and instead had to use grocery-style bags.” The Heitzs were both released after posting $15,000 bail. The pair appeared in court for their initial hearings on Friday morning.