Local & State NewsFriday, Aug. 20, 2010
By JOE LAMBE
The Kansas City Star
The 6-year-old boy found starving in a filthy De Soto attic is recovering, and his grandparents are trying to get custody, their attorney said Friday.
The boy was found this week after the maternal grandparents asked the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office to check on his welfare.
They had not seen him in about four months and were concerned, said attorney Sarah Swain.
The boy, who has Down syndrome, had always been small, but the grandparents did not know why or how things got so bad that he was put in an attic.
“The family has no idea of what brought this on,” Swain said. “They want to know.”
Rachel L. Perez, 26, had her first court appearance Thursday on charges of child abuse and child endangerment. She is also the mother of two girls, ages 8 and 5, and is pregnant with another child, the attorney said.
Swain said the grandparents were seeking custody of the children, and a court hearing was scheduled for October.
For now, all the children are in state care and Perez is in jail.
Deputies found the boy Tuesday after they twice went to the duplex in the 8200 block of Center Drive. The first time, the mother told them the boy was not there, and they arrested her on an outstanding warrant.
They went back about six hours later at the request of the grandparents and found the boy confined in the attic.
He is now recovering at Children’s Mercy Hospital.
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Diane
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