Sentenced: “On Death’s Door:” Trio Accused Of Locking Up 2YO Twins In Squalid Rooms

[Sugar Cookie]

A West Virginia man, his wife and her boyfriend, have all been arrested and accused of locking up a pair of 2-year-old twin boys in squalid conditions and leaving one “on death’s door.”

Michael and Lylee Gillenwater and Brian Casto, of Ripley, allegedly self-medicated the toddlers to put them to sleep, locking them in a “very soiled-conditions type of bedroom” for days at a time, the Jackson County Sheriff’s office said.

Deputies came across the children on Monday after one of them was found unresponsive and suffering from “complete renal failure,” Sheriff Ross Mellinger told WOWK.

“The neglect had reached such a level that one of the 2-year-olds had lost consciousness and was on death’s door when the notification was made to the sheriff’s office,” Mellinger said. “The twin 2-year-old boys had, basically, been locked in a Hell-on-Earth type of situation within their apartment room.”

Police said the children were found in an “extreme” state of malnutrition and dehydration, with an investigation showing that they were only fed cereal and pieces of ground beef that was slid to them underneath the door.

Mellinger said that the children were locked in the apartment room for “as many as six weeks at a time.”

“I think it’s fair to say that, given the circumstances at hand, I think the average barnyard animal would probably provide better parental care and nurturing than what these kids were afforded through the three adults living in this home,” he said.

Mellinger said that the child was in a “very, very dire situation,” and would likely face several medical hurdles and it remains unclear “whether he’s even going to survive or not.”

The boy’s twin was also removed from the home, along with a third female child police found. It was not immediately clear what her relationship was with the family.

The sheriff added that, as the twins stayed in the locked room, Michael lived upstairs while his wife and her boyfriend stayed in the basement.

Mellinger ultimately described the three adults as “animals,” noting that his department was completely appalled as to how parents could treat their own children in such a way.

“Every time you see an incident like this, it really puts a lot of things in perspective, not only from a law enforcement standpoint, but from a parental standpoint,” said Mellinger. “It’s just amazing to me that animals like this still exist – where becoming a parent is a burden, and living in such a nasty environment.

Michael was charged with two counts of child neglect with serious risk of injury or death and child neglect resulting in injury. Lylee faces two counts of child neglect resulting in injury.

Casto was also charged with one count of child abuse resulting in injury and one count of child abuse with risk of injury.

MSN

 

[Sugar Cookie]

 

[DamagedGoods]

Ugh. It always amazes me when these "parents" take photos of themselves with the kids as if they actually give a shit about them.

And I realize it is pedantic, and probably asshole of me that this bothers me as much as it does but:

"allegedly self-medicated the toddlers"

That's just medicating. Not "self" medicating. Unless the toddlers medicated themselves.

 

[Handbag]

Cursed "In the same unit, Benjamin Taylor, of Cottageville, murdered and raped Emmaleigh Barringer, who was 10 months old when this happened. Taylor is serving a life sentence with no mercy".

Those poor babies never should be returned to either birth giver!

 

[Sugar Cookie]

@DamagedGoods

These images are from 2021, it appeared they were initially cared for and wanted.

What was the shift the dissolution of the parents relationship or drugs?

I am scared of what the long term effects of this neglect will have on those children.

 

[HijabiGirl]

@DamagedGoods

These images are from 2021, it appeared they were initially cared for and wanted.

What was the shift the dissolution of the parents relationship or drugs?

I am scared of what the long term effects of this neglect will have on those children.

I was wondering the same thing. The pictures shows children who appeared very well cared for. What the hell happened between the time of discovery and the picture?

 

[Rebooto67]

I was wondering the same thing. The pictures shows children who appeared very well cared for. What the hell happened between the time of discovery and the picture?

Bit the looks on their faces are really sad.

 

[McDanel]

Husband lives upstairs, wife and her lover in the basement. No stress in this house, eh?

 

[HEREIBE22]

Post automatically merged: Jun 19, 2023

Honestly, those beautiful boys obviously do not belong to her husband. Maybe the boyfriend but either way they obviously are more concerned with being poly than the health of these babies. For that, they deserve death!

 

[Taishobee]

That baby looks just like him

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Name: Gillenwater, Michael Scott

Next Parole Hearing: 8/8/2024
Projected Release Date: 8/7/2028

Sentencing County	Order Date	Order Number	Offense(s)
Jackson	4/12/2024	23-F-66	Regular - Neglect By Parent, Guardian Or Custodian Causing Serious Bodily Injury (1-10 Yrs)

Name: Gillenwater, Lylee

Next Parole Hearing: 5/8/2024
Projected Release Date: 5/7/2028

Sentencing County	Order Date	Order Number	Offense(s)
Jackson	Not Available	23-F-65	Regular - Child Abuse By Parent W/ Serious Bodily Injury

 

[Jellyfish Brain]

I was wondering the same thing. The pictures shows children who appeared very well cared for. What the hell happened between the time of discovery and the picture?

Usually those pictures are taken with other family members as their guardian (as in grandma or aunty or whoever bathed and clothed them), a foster family, or at a family event, where they have to put on a show so no one suspects much. Get them all dressed up and washed for Easter dinner at grandmammies! Then take them home and the neglect continues. Can't say for certain, but most of the times that's the situation. Anyone can look like a loving parent on Facebook or social media. I don't put much stock into "nice" looking family photos of an abuser.

 

[BuffettGirl]

Why did her parents name her a whole dame lie? Lylee? Really? Not Rylee, or Kylee, or even a messed up version of the Hawaiian name Maile spelled Mylee. They went with Lylee... Perhaps this 'mother' was doomed to fail since her own damn birth?