Priscilla Marshall, 34, and Cody Marion, 35, were charged with aggravated battery to a child, two counts of domestic battery and endangering the life or health of a child
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- Priscilla Marshall, 34, and Cody Marion, 35, of Fox Lake, Ill., were arrested after police said an 11-year-old boy was found bruised and bloodied wandering the streets in only his underwear
- Investigators said the child had allegedly been struck with household objects and had dish soap poured into his mouth and ears
- The boy ran to a nearby business and asked an employee for help, according to police
An 11-year-old boy found bruised and bloody while wandering the streets wearing only his underwear led police in Fox Lake, Ill., to arrest his mother and her boyfriend, with the boy telling investigators he endured years of abuse.
Officers responded around 9:30 a.m. on March 6 to the area of Nippersink Boulevard and Grand Avenue after a business employee reported seeing the nearly-nude young boy, who appeared battered and had blood on his face, the Fox Lake Police Department said in a press release.
The employee told police the boy had come inside asking for help and that they called 911, NBC Chicago, WGN-TV and CBS Chicago reported.
Police said the child had welts, bruises and scratches across his body when officers arrived at the scene. He was taken into protective custody and transported to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital for medical evaluation, according to the release.
Investigators later went to the boy’s home in the 30 block of East Grand Avenue, where they spoke with the child and his mother, 34-year-old Priscilla Marshall.
Marshall was arrested following her interviews with officers, per the release.
Two additional children — ages 1 and 2 — were found inside the home and appeared unharmed, the release states. Two other siblings were at school at the time. All four children were taken into protective custody and later brought to the Lake County Child Advocacy Center in Gurnee for medical evaluations and forensic interviews, according to the release.
The Lake County Department of Children and Family Services was notified, and the children were then placed in the temporary care of an extended family member.
During the investigation, detectives were told the boy had allegedly been subjected to abuse by Marshall and her boyfriend, Cody Marion, 35, for multiple years, according to police.
Investigators alleged the child was struck with household objects, had dish soap poured into his mouth and ears, and was not permitted to attend school.
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After forensic interviews were completed, investigators returned to the home and took Marion into custody, per the release, which noted that both he and Marshall were charged with aggravated battery to a child, two counts of domestic battery and endangering the life or health of a child.
Prosecutors said during a detention hearing that the boy told investigators the abuse had been going on for years before he fled the home and sought help that day, the Lake and McHenry County Scanner reported.
Both defendants were transported to the Lake County Jail and appeared for their first court appearance Saturday morning, according to the local outlet.
Marion appeared for a detention hearing on Monday, March 9, while Marshall appeared for her detention hearing Tuesday, March 10.
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