Dad, stepmom now charged with murder in death of boy shackled in Indiana motel bathtub

MONROE COUNTY, Ind. (WXIN) -- The father and stepmother of a boy who was restrained in a motel bathtub with shackles and a dog collar before his death are now being charged with murder.

Luis Posso and Dayana Median Flores were arrested on neglect charges last week after 12-year-old Eduardo Posso died at Bloomington Hospital. They both are expected to make their initial court appearance in Monroe County on Friday.

Investigators with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said they were called to the hospital where Eduardo was pronounced dead last Friday. The coroner said he was severely emaciated, weighing only 50-55 pounds with zero percent body fat.

Authorities said during a search of the Bloomington motel room where Posso and Flores stayed with Eduardo and his other siblings, they found wrist and ankle restraints, chains and a dog training shock collar. They said they also found images on a cell phone of him in restraints with a dog shock collar on his neck in the bathtub. Investigators said both denied withholding food, but Posso admitted to some sort of abuse.

“We believe probably within the last year things seemed to have gotten more severe,” Monroe County Detective Lt. Jennifer Allen said.