Lincoln County Teen Found Starving, Parents And Siblings Arrested

A 15-year-old boy was found nearly starved to death on his family's property near Meeker. Court filings revealed the child weighed less than 80 pounds.

Investigators say he was forced to live in a barn next to the family home, and on July 12 they found he had a head wound that his father super-glued shut.

Read Related Story: Court Documents - Lincoln Co. Boy Found Nearly Starved To Death 

“At one point, he had not received any medical attention for them because his parents claimed that doctors were expensive. So, they hadn't taken him to a doctor. So at one point, his dad had picked maggots out of the wounds, and super-glued them shut,” said Assistant District Attorney Adam Panter.

The teen was taken to OU Children’s Hospital, where doctors found he had a stomach full of twigs, leaves and grass. He also suffered broken bones sometime within the past couple of years. Those weren’t his only injures.

“At one point, he says he was shot by his father with a 12-gauge, with birdshot,” said Panter. “Doctors stated that he was likely going to die within a week if he had not been found.”

His father, 34-year-old Jimmy Jones Sr., has been arrested on child abuse and neglect complaints. Investigators confirm Jones Sr. worked as a correctional officer at a private prison in Cushing.

The boy’s step-mother, Amy Jones, and two step-brothers, Johnathan Plank and Tyler Adkins, were also arrested on complaints on child abuse. They failed to report any actions taken at the home. The Lincoln County ADA added there was plenty of food in the home.

“Fully stocked refrigerators, pantry’s…they had plenty of food in the house. Whereas, the 15-year-old who was in the house had a loaf of bread where he was sleeping,” said Panter.

A passerby called DHS to report they had seen the teen eating berries, and that he looked extremely malnourished. One of the step-brothers, who was arrested, stated that if the victim died, the parents might have disposed of his body themselves. 

The motive is unclear but detectives say the family accused the 15-year-old of being a "manipulative liar."

Investigators say this should motivate others to report abuse if they witness it.

The boy in this case was home-schooled and had no interaction with others.

“They called the authorities and they saved this child life. It literally saved his life cause had he died, there is no telling if we would have ever found out,” said Panter.

There was also a 4-year-old living at the home who has been taken into state custody. News 9 was told she is healthy. In fact, everyone in the home was reported in good health except the 15-year-old victim. Investigators say that teen was the only child in the home that was not a blood relative of  Amy Jones.

Charges could be filed Friday. 

The victim remains at OU Children’s Hospital and will likely be there for weeks.