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UPDATE:

Luis Posso was sentenced to 65 years in prison and was sentenced to 65 years in prison.

ORIGINAL STORY:

MONROE COUNTY, Ind. – A 12-year-old boy was restrained in a motel bathtub with shackles and a dog collar before he died, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reports. Now the boy’s father and his stepmother face charges in connection with his death.

Luis Posso (L) and Dayana Median Flores (R)

Eduardo Posso was taken to Bloomington Hospital for treatment last week. He later passed away. Hospital officials say he showed multiple signs of abuse and starvation. The boy was severely emaciated and weighed only 50 to 55 pounds, according to Coroner Joani Shields. The cause and manner of death are pending, Shields said.

Monroe County Sheriff Brad Swain said this case was “beyond anything” he’d ever seen in child homicides and other cases.

“You don’t even want to let your mind go to imagine what this child went through,” Swain said. “I was told that the emergency room doctor had a pretty emotional experience as a result of having to do this examination and seeing firsthand the cruelty some people can place [on a child].”

Eduardo Posso

Monroe County detectives arrested his father, 32-year-old Luis Posso, and his stepmother, 25-year-old Dayana Median Flores, in connection with his death. They face neglect charges, and they’re being held in the Monroe County Correctional Center.

Their three other children, a 9-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy, and a 2-year-old boy, were placed in the care of Child Protection Services. Officials say they appeared to be healthy.

“I’m sure this will be with those children for the rest of their lives,” Swain said.

Monroe County detectives say the family was staying in a motel in the area temporarily for their employment. Their job was to distribute advertising for a circus which tours around the United States.

Image from Monroe County Sheriff’s Office

When detectives searched their motel room, they found a box containing restraints and a K9 shock collar.

Police examined the couples’ phones and found video of Eduardo restrained in a bathtub. The video shows other children and Flores coming and going in the bathroom and paying no attention to the boy. Posso even took a selfie in the bathroom with his son restrained in the background, police said.

The investigation will likely include multiple jurisdictions over a long period of time.