A 10-year-old Griffin boy who was allegedly starved, confined and beaten by his parents may have also been assaulted and choked by his adult stepbrother, according to Spalding County officials.
Ethan Washburn, 20, of Franklin, Tennessee, was taken into custody last week on two felony counts of aggravated assault, Griffin police said Monday. Washburn is accused of seriously choking his 10-year-old stepbrother at some point between June 2020 and February 2023, according to his arrest warrants.
Washburn is the son of Krista Schindley, who was arrested May 12 alongside her husband, Tyler Schindley, on multiple counts of cruelty to children, among other charges. The Schindleys are the parents of the 10-year-old boy at the center of the child abuse case, but both have older children from prior relationships, officials said.
Police released few details about Washburn’s arrest and said the investigation remains active. In Washburn’s arrest warrant, he is accused of using both hands to choke his stepbrother around the neck.
Washburn was arrested June 6 and remains in the Spalding County Jail without bond, online jail records show. Both Krista and Tyler Schindley are jailed, as well. The Schindleys were scheduled to appear at a bond hearing Monday, but the hearing was delayed until June 26 to allow them more time to find an attorney.
Officials have not shared an update on the condition of their son, who weighed 36 pounds, or about half the weight of a typical 10-year-old, when he was found wandering the street by neighbors who called the police. None of the couple’s four other children living with them appeared to suffer from malnourishment or starvation, authorities said.
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