2 arrested in alleged torture of teen, who escaped

[samanthajane13]

By MICHELLE LOCKE and MARCUS WOHLSEN, Associated Press Writers Michelle Locke And Marcus Wohlsen, Associated Press Writers – 48 mins ago



TRACY, Calif. – A Girl Scout leader and her husband were arrested after an emaciated, terrified and nearly naked 17-year-old showed up at a gym with a chain locked to his ankle, saying he had just fled his captors, authorities said Tuesday.

Police were also seeking a third suspect and had an outstanding felony warrant against her for an earlier alleged assault against the teen.

The boy, who authorities said ran away from a Sacramento foster home last year, came into the In-Shape Sports Club in Tracy on Monday wearing only boxer briefs and covered in what appeared to be soot, gym manager Chuck Ellis said. Tracy is about 70 miles south of Sacramento.

Ellis said the teen was scared someone was going to come after him and asked to be hidden.

"He said, 'Don't let them get me, don't let them get me,'" Ellis said. "He was totally terrified."

The boy said he had been held captive for nearly a year, said Ellis, adding that he looked as if he was only 10 to 12 years old.

Authorities said they believe the boy had been chained to a car seat but picked up a dropped key, unlocked himself and fled when the car stopped.

Police arrested Kelly Layne Lau, 30, and Michael Schumacher, 34, late Monday after questioning the couple. A subsequent search of their nearby home found further evidence implicating them, said Tracy police spokesman Matt Robinson, who would not describe what officers found.

The couple were booked on charges of torture, kidnapping and child abuse, and were set to appear in court Thursday, according to online jail records. They were being held at the San Joaquin County jail in lieu of bail of nearly $1.2 million each. Prosecutors did not know if the couple had attorneys.

Lau and Schumacher's four young children, two of whom were home when police arrived, have been taken into protective custody, authorities said.

Lau started serving as a local Girl Scout leader sometime in September, after a background check turned up nothing to cause concern, said Pam Saltenberger, chief executive of Girl Scouts Heart of Central California.

Police still were seeking 43-year-old Caren Ramirez, who they say might be the boy's aunt, on suspicion of participating in the abuse, Robinson said. Investigators were trying to figure out the connection between the couple and Ramirez, who authorities believe occasionally visited their home.

Ramirez had become the teen's guardian after child-welfare officials took him from his abusive father three or four years ago, Robinson said. After Ramirez was arrested for allegedly abusing the boy, he was placed in another foster home, which he fled in late 2007, police said.

Since then, the boy's whereabouts hadn't been known until around 4 p.m. Monday, when he entered the fitness center, Robinson said.

The family's tidy two-story house was decked with two large Christmas wreaths on the front doors. No one answered Tuesday when a reporter knocked on the front door.

According to neighbors, the couple seemed to lead lives that revolved around their kids. On her MySpace page, Lau describes herself as a stay-at-home mom and says her husband worked as a contractor. She posted many photos of her family, friends and pets.

Jennifer Foster, 33, said she and Lau became acquaintances through their children, who were neighborhood playmates. Foster said she first noticed an older boy with the family about a year ago.

"She told me that he was a nephew that was staying with them because he was having problems at home," Foster said. The boy was outside frequently, and his appearance never suggested anything unusual was happening behind closed doors, though the last time she saw him was May, she said.

Another neighbor said that more recently, the boy looked unwell.

"The last time I seen him, maybe two weeks ago, we were both taking our cans in from garbage days and he was really skinny and pale," Rachel Portillo said.

Robinson, the police spokesman, said the boy was confused when approached by detectives Monday, unsure where he had come from and how long he had been held. He was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition Tuesday afternoon.

"The victim says he was held against his will," Robinson said. "When you have a 17-year-old boy showing up with a bloody ankle from having a chain wrapped around it, it's one of those things for officers to put one and one together."

Robinson said detectives would interview the boy more Tuesday when he is a "little healthier." Police wouldn't release details about any conversations they've had with the boy or the couple since the arrests.

___

Marcus Wohlsen reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Sudhin Thanawala and AP videographer Haven Daley contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081203/.../shackled_teen

[samanthajane13]

Couple arrested after shackled boy shows up at gym

TRACY, Calif. (AP) — A Girl Scout leader and her husband were arrested after an emaciated, terrified and nearly naked 17-year-old showed up at a gym with a chain locked to his ankle, saying he had just fled his captors, authorities said Tuesday.

Police were also seeking the boy's aunt and had an outstanding felony warrant against her for an earlier alleged assault against the teen.

The boy, who authorities said ran away from a Sacramento foster home last year, came into the In-Shape Sports Club in Tracy on Monday wearing only boxer briefs and covered in what appeared to be soot, gym manager Chuck Ellis said. Tracy is about 70 miles south of Sacramento.

Ellis said the teen was scared someone was going to come after him and asked to be hidden.

"He said, 'Don't let them get me, don't let them get me,"' Ellis said. "He was totally terrified."

The boy said he had been held captive for nearly a year, said Ellis, adding that he looked as if he was only 10 to 12 years old.

Authorities said they believe the boy had been chained to a car seat but picked up a dropped key, unlocked himself and fled when the car stopped.

Police arrested Kelly Layne Lau, 30, and Michael Schumacher, 34, late Monday after questioning the couple. A subsequent search of their nearby home found further evidence implicating them, said Tracy police spokesman Matt Robinson, who would not describe what officers found.

The couple were booked on charges of torture, kidnapping and child abuse, and were set to appear in court Thursday, according to online jail records. They were being held at San Joaquin County jail in lieu of bail of nearly $1.2 million each. Prosecutors did not know if the couple had hired attorneys.

Lau and Schumacher's four young children, two of whom were home when police arrived, have been taken into protective custody, authorities said.

Lau started serving as a local Girl Scout leader sometime in September, after a background check turned up nothing to cause concern, said Pam Saltenberger, chief executive of Girl Scouts Heart of Central California.

Police still were seeking Caren Ramirez, 43, the boy's aunt, on suspicion of participating in the alleged abuse, Robinson said. Investigators were trying to figure out the connection between the couple and Ramirez, who authorities believe occasionally visited their home.

Ramirez had become the teen's guardian after child-welfare officials took him from his abusive father three or four years ago, Robinson said. After Ramirez was arrested for allegedly abusing the boy, he was placed in another foster home, which he fled in late 2007, police said.

Since then, the boy's whereabouts hadn't been known.

According to neighbors, the couple seemed to lead lives that revolved around their kids. On her MySpace Web page, Lau describes herself as a stay-at-home mom and says her husband worked as a contractor. She posted many photos of her family, friends and pets.

Jennifer Foster, 33, said she and Lau became acquaintances through their children, who were neighborhood playmates. Foster said she first noticed an older boy with the family about a year ago.

"She told me that he was a nephew that was staying with them because he was having problems at home," Foster said. The boy was outside frequently, and his appearance never suggested anything unusual was happening behind closed doors, though the last time she saw him was May, she said.

Another neighbor said that more recently, the boy looked unwell.

"The last time I seen him, maybe two weeks ago, we were both taking our cans in from garbage days and he was really skinny and pale," Rachel Portillo said.

Robinson said detectives would interview the boy more Tuesday when he is a "little healthier." Police wouldn't release details about any conversations they've had with the boy or the couple since the arrests.


http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...y_N.htm?csp=34

[samanthajane13]

Police arrest aunt in Calif. shackled teen case
Wed Dec 3, 11:39 am ET



BERKELEY, Calif. – Police have arrested the aunt of a 17-year-old boy who showed up at a gym shackled and terrified, claiming he had just fled his captors.

Caren Ramirez is the third suspect arrested in the alleged assault against the teen.

Ramirez, 43, was arrested Tuesday night after police received a tip she was in the San Francisco suburb of Berkeley, said Tracy police spokesman Matt Robinson. Tracy is about 60 miles east of San Francisco.

Police had been looking for Ramirez after they arrested Kelly Layne Lau, 30, and Michael Schumacher, 34, earlier Tuesday.

Lau and Schumacher were in jail in lieu of bail set at nearly $1.2 million each. They were booked for suspicion of torture, kidnapping and child abuse. They were set to appear in court Thursday. Prosecutors did not know if they had attorneys.

Lau and Schumacher's four young children, two of whom were home when police arrived, were taken into protective custody, authorities said.

Ramirez had become the teen's guardian after child-welfare officials took him from his abusive father three or four years ago, police said. After Ramirez was arrested for allegedly abusing the boy, he was placed in another foster home, which he fled in late 2007, police said.

Since then, the boy's whereabouts hadn't been known until Monday, when he entered the fitness center.

Police said Wednesday there had been conflicting reports about how the boy ended up at the gym. First they said they believed the boy had been chained to a car seat but picked up a dropped key, unlocked himself and fled when the car stopped. Robinson said authorities now believe the boy hopped over a fence to get away.

Gym manager Chuck Ellis said the teen was scared someone was going to come after him and asked to be hidden.

The boy said he had been held captive for nearly a year, said Ellis, adding that he looked as if he was only 10 to 12 years old.

According to neighbors, the couple seemed to lead lives that revolved around their kids. On her MySpace Web page, Lau describes herself as a stay-at-home mom, Girl Scout troop leader and says her husband "is my best friend and a wonderful father." She posted many photos of her family, friends and pets.

___

Marcus Wohlsen reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Sudhin Thanawala and AP videographer Haven Daley contributed to this report.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081203/.../shackled_teen

[wind149]

Talk about appalling!!! That poor child!!!! I hope these POS's never see the light of day again, too bad they could not be strung up and abused, I would imagine though behind bars, they are gonna whine and snivel their way to PC because inmates will want a piece of them, PURE D SCUM!!! This poor child probably will never recover from this, can you imagine seeing this poor kid come through the door filthy, dragging a LARGE CHAIN LINK AND PADLOCK by his LEG, bloody and in his undies??? I would have done the same thing the lady at the gym did, hide him, lock him in a closet, and call 911, because another minute and these scumbags were probably gonna be searching for him and that POS aunt needs to get her ass beat to a pulp!! Can you fathom the life this baby has led? First being abused by your own parents, given to this scum aunt like she was BETTER??? Then abused by her, taken away, ran from the foster home and that couple probably convinced him to stay with them and they too abused him, this boy has never seen what love is, has never felt it and Lord Knows how long it will take for this child to trust anyone, if ever and I can relate because after suffering abuse by my adoptive parents, I hated the world, I trusted no one, then I get raped, I was a mess at 16! If it wasn't for the kindness and love shown by my foster parents, I would still be that angry pissed off kid! Part of me still harbors resentment towards my beotch mother and I am gonna take that to my grave I guess. I hope the media keeps this one in the spotlight, I am sure folks from around the world would be willing to help this boy in anyway they can and I want these b/a/s/ta/r/d/s to get LWPOP, they did not kill him so therefore CA won't give them the DP, hell even when they do that, it takes 30 years!!!!

[samanthajane13]

Police: Shackled Calif. boy jumped fence to escape
By TERRY COLLINS and MARCUS WOHLSEN, Associated Press Writers Terry Collins And Marcus Wohlsen, Associated Press Writers – Thu Dec 4, 12:05 am ET



TRACY, Calif. – After being held captive for about a year, an emaciated and shackled 17-year-old boy climbed out a window in the home of his captors and walked into a nearby gym in search of help, police said Wednesday.

Authorities were still investigating the boy's alleged imprisonment and abuse by a California couple, but details of his escape were becoming clearer, police said.

The boy has been released from a hospital and was in the custody of Child Protective Services, Tracy police spokesman Matt Robinson said.

Law enforcement officers also were trying to determine how the aunt and one-time guardian of the teen knew the couple accused of holding him against his will for nearly a year.

Caren Ramirez was arrested Tuesday in Berkeley, a day after the boy walked into a gym and begged managers to hide him. He was covered in soot, had a chain on his foot and was wearing only boxer briefs.

Police arrested a couple who lived near the gym in Tracy and booked them on suspicion of torture, kidnapping and child abuse. Tracy is about 60 miles east of San Francisco.

Ramirez, 43, had been the teen's guardian after child-welfare officials took him from his abusive father three or four years ago, police said. Ramirez herself was later arrested for allegedly abusing the boy, and he was placed in a Sacramento foster home, which he fled in late 2007, police said.

Since then, the boy's whereabouts were unknown until Monday, when he entered the fitness center.

Police had said there were conflicting reports about how the boy ended up at the gym. The boy told investigators he had been chained inside a sport utility vehicle that pulled up to the home. After going inside the house, he climbed through a rear window and jumped the fence between the backyard and a fitness center, the boy reported.

"He found his opportunity and he took it. It's basically luck that this all occurred," Robinson said. He also said police officers were traumatized by the boy's condition and that a chaplain was brought in to counsel them.

Kelly Layne Lau, 30, and Michael Schumacher, 34, were arrested earlier Tuesday and were jailed in lieu of bail set at nearly $1.2 million each. They were set to appear in court Thursday. Authorities said neither they nor Ramirez had attorneys.

Schumacher and Lau turned down interview requests from The Associated Press. Ramirez was still being questioned by police.

Lau and Schumacher's four young children, two of whom were home when police arrived, were taken into protective custody, authorities said.

Gym manager Chuck Ellis said the teen was scared someone was going to come after him and asked to be hidden.

The boy said he had been held captive for nearly a year, said Ellis, adding that he looked as if he was only 10 to 12 years old.

Ellis said the Schumachers requested during the summer to raise the height of the wall separating their home from the gym. They complained that teenagers were sneaking through their yard to the gym to play basketball, he said.

Authorities would not say whether the boy was chained regularly or where he may have been held in the home. They said they haven't determined how often he was allegedly beaten or tortured but that he appeared at the gym with cuts, bruises and burns across his body.

According to neighbors, the couple seemed to lead lives that revolved around their kids. On her MySpace Web page, Lau describes herself as a stay-at-home mom, Girl Scout troop leader and says her husband "is my best friend and a wonderful father." She posted many photos of her family, friends and pets.

___

Associated Press writer Juliet Williams in Sacramento, AP researchers Monika Mathur and Barbara Sambriski in New York and AP videographer Haven Daley contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/.../shackled_teen

I have a feeling that this will turn out to be quite different than it looks now.
This kid may be a problem child to the Nth degree. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, and sometimes very, very bad.

[samanthajane13]

I'm hoping that good people come forward to help this poor kid and show him the love and nurturing he's missed all these years.

He will be in my prayers for a VERY LONG TIME.

[samanthajane13]

Calif. city at loss to explain shackled teen case
By TERRY COLLINS and MARCUS WOHLSEN, Associated Press Writers Terry Collins And Marcus Wohlsen, Associated Press Writers – 34 mins ago

TRACY, Calif. – City officials and child-abuse experts don't understand how the abduction and torture of a teenage boy could have gone undetected for more than a year in this middle-class community once dubbed the second-safest in Northern California.

"Unless this child was chained in the basement for the duration, it's just not possible that somebody could not have seen something," said Lindy Turner-Hardin, executive director of the nonprofit Child Abuse Prevention Council of San Joaquin County.

But neighbors of a Tracy couple didn't notice much, except that the 16-year-old boy looked very skinny when he was spotted taking out the trash recently. And he was seldom seen outside even though he was of school age.

Authorities said the couple and the boy's former guardian repeatedly used a baseball bat, a knife and a belt to abuse the teen, often keeping him in chains. The emaciated boy stumbled into a gym behind the family's home Monday with a chain padlocked to his ankle, pleading for safety and shelter.

Michael Schumacher, 34, and his wife Kelly Layne Lau, 30, are accused of more than a dozen charges, including torture, kidnapping and child abuse. The boy's former guardian, Caren Ramirez, 43, was charged with similar offenses.

All three, who have yet to enter pleas, are expected to appear in court Monday. They could face life in prison if convicted.

Authorities said the boy, who had escaped from a group foster home, was abused in the two-story Tudor-style house separated by a fence from the gym where he was discovered. A contractor and a Girl Scout leader were raising four young children there in what the wife's MySpace page depicted as a happy household devoted to dance recitals and Oakland Raiders football.

"This has been kind of a shock for us to gain attention this way," said Suzanne Tucker, mayor pro tem of Tracy. "We're a family-oriented community with a small-town feel where neighbors know each other."

Until this case made national headlines, an increase in gang violence was the highest-profile crime problem in Tracy, which was rated the second-safest city in Northern California by a recent survey.

But Turner-Hardin said that San Joaquin county, where Tracy is located, had lately seen an increase in requests for child abuse services. At the same time, the city just east of San Francisco has had one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation.

"With the housing market and unemployment rates really going through the roof, kids sometimes get the bad end of that," she said.

The boy had been under the care of Sacramento County's child welfare system after Ramirez was charged with beating him. He went missing from a group home in May 2007.

Authorities said he returned to Ramirez two months later, this time living in the couple's Tracy home.

After the boy escaped from the group home, officers filed a missing persons report, said Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong. Noting that police respond to about five runaway calls a day, Leong said the boy was never located.

Dr. Victor Carrion, who studies the effects of trauma on children at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, said it wasn't surprising that the boy returned to the person who beat him. Abused children almost certainly develop post-traumatic stress disorder and begin to believe they deserve the mistreatment, he said.

It's more surprising when a child manages to flee rather than stay and endure more abuse.

"How strong of him ... to be able to still think there's the possibility of escape and to know where to go," he said.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081207/.../shackled_teen

[samanthajane13]

Detective: Shackled teen chained to fireplace
By TERRY COLLINS, Associated Press Writer Terry Collins, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 7 mins ago

STOCKTON, Calif. – Three people appeared in court Monday on charges of kidnapping and torturing a 16-year-old boy who an investigator said had been kept chained in a fireplace, choked with a belt and denied food for days at a time during more than a year in captivity.

The emaciated boy fled a home in Tracy last week with a chain around his ankle and sought help at a local gym.

Michael Schumacher, 34, his wife, Kelly Layne Lau, 30, and the teen's one-time guardian, Caren Ramirez, 43, face torture, kidnapping and multiple child abuse charges.

Ramirez was arraigned Monday in San Joaquin County Superior Court in Stockton, keeping her head down for most of the hearing. All three have yet to enter pleas and are due back in court Jan. 5. Each is being held in lieu of more than $2.2 million bail at San Joaquin County Jail.

Detective Nate Cogburn described in a sworn affidavit details of the alleged abuse that emerged during an interview with the boy.

The teen told investigators he had been seriously burned on his left arm when someone purposely lit a fire in the fireplace while he was chained there and sleeping. Authorities who later searched the home where the boy allegedly was held reported finding a blanket inside the fireplace, Cogburn said.

According to the affidavit, the three defendants had held the boy captive since mid-2007, beating him frequently, denying him food for days at a time and keeping him chained to the fireplace or a heavy table. The boy also recounted being choked with a belt until he lost consciousness.

"Though currently 16 years old, he appeared much younger due to malnourishment, and his body was predominantly covered with soot, sores and scars," Cogburn said.

The boy said he was regularly hit on the head with a baseball bat and was once cut with a knife, according to the detective. Cogburn said the boy had an injured ankle that seemed permanently indented from being chained.

The boy explained that the defendants also forced him to take unknown pills, drink alcoholic beverages and smoke marijuana to keep him lethargic, the detective said.

In court Monday, attorneys for the defendants requested that future affidavits be sealed from public view. Judge Cinda Fox did not rule on the request but extended an earlier gag order prohibiting both sides from discussing the case.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081209/.../shackled_teen

[samanthajane13]

Details Emerge in Shackled Teen Case
By TERRY COLLINS, AP
posted: 8 HOURS 5 MINUTES AGO

STOCKTON, Calif. (Dec. 8) - Three people appeared in court Monday on charges of kidnapping and torturing a 16-year-old boy who an investigator said had been kept chained in a fireplace, choked with a belt and denied food for days at a time during more than a year in captivity.

The emaciated boy fled a home in Tracy last week with a chain around his ankle and sought help at a local gym.

Michael Schumacher, 34, his wife, Kelly Layne Lau, 30, and the teen's one-time guardian, Caren Ramirez, 43, face torture, kidnapping and child abuse charges.

Ramirez was arraigned Monday in San Joaquin County Superior Court in Stockton, keeping her head down for most of the hearing. All three have yet to enter pleas and are due back in court Jan. 5. Each is being held in lieu of more than $2.2 million bail at the San Joaquin County jail.

Detective Nate Cogburn described in a sworn affidavit details of the alleged abuse that emerged during an interview with the boy.

The teen told investigators he had been seriously burned on his left arm when someone purposely lit a fire in the fireplace while he was chained there and sleeping. Authorities who later searched the home where the boy allegedly was held reported finding a blanket inside the fireplace, Cogburn said.

According to the affidavit, the three defendants had held the boy captive since mid-2007, beating him frequently, denying him food for days at a time and keeping him chained to the fireplace or a heavy table. The boy also recounted being choked with a belt until he lost consciousness.

"Though currently 16 years old, he appeared much younger due to malnourishment, and his body was predominantly covered with soot, sores and scars," Cogburn said.

The boy said he was regularly hit on the head with a baseball bat and was once cut with a knife, according to the detective. Cogburn said the boy had an injured ankle that seemed permanently indented from being chained.

The boy explained that the defendants also forced him to take unknown pills, drink alcoholic beverages and smoke marijuana to keep him lethargic, the detective said.

In court Monday, attorneys for the defendants requested that future affidavits be sealed from public view. Judge Cinda Fox did not rule on the request but extended an earlier gag order prohibiting both sides from discussing the case.


http://news.aol.com/article/details-...en-case/270112