6-year-old found locked in shed in Pleasant Grove, Dallas police say

Dallas police found a 6-year-old boy locked in a shed in Pleasant Grove, which reportedly led to the arrest of his grandmother and her boyfriend.

Officers found the child with his hands tied behind his back in the shed at the grandmother’s home Sunday night, according to KTVT-TV (Channel 11).

Police confirmed finding the child at the home in the 1100 block of Coston Drive but declined to identify the child or provide many details Monday because of the nature of the case.

In a written statement, police said officers were called to the home for a health and welfare check. A witness directed officers to the shed, and they found the boy locked inside.

The child was not taken to a hospital after he was evaluated, police said.

The boy’s grandmother told officers she’d locked the child in the shed as punishment and her boyfriend said it had been happening for at least two weeks because the child was stealing food, KTVT reported.

The child told officers the abuse began after he was home from school during the coronavirus pandemic, the station said.

KTVT said officers arrested the grandmother and her boyfriend, but police did not publicly identify them and details from jail records were unavailable Monday.

Sarah Burns of the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center said that because teachers make many child abuse reports, students learning from home during the pandemic may be at greater risk.

“Our concern has always been children being with their abusers all the time and having no safe adult to confide in or a safe adult that can report that abuse,” she said.

The Advocacy Center has seen a 50% decrease in reports in the last six weeks, compared with the six weeks leading up to the pandemic.