food

Parents Accused of Locking Son in “Urine-Soaked” Room Without Food or Water

Christina Irizarry, 35, and Lorenzo Mato, 57, face several charges including aggravated child abuse, child neglect and kidnapping.

A mother and father are being held without bond after police say they locked their son in a urine-soaked room without giving him any food.

Christina Irizarry, 35, and Lorenzo Mato, 57, face several charges including aggravated child abuse, child neglect and kidnapping.

According to an arrest report, the parents would lock the child, who police say is under 13-years-old, in his bedroom without food or access to a bathroom. A neighbor told police the child would sneak out of his bedroom and knock on neighbors' doors asking for food and water.

The neighbor then told the parents that the child needed food, so Mato gave him a bowl of spaghetti. While the child was eating, the neighbor heard Mato say he was "sick and tired" of his son's crying, and demanded Irizarry give him more food.

Police also said therapists and Department of Children and Families investigators were not allowed to see the boy during scheduled visits. Investigators said Irizarry would let them peek inside him room, but he would always appear to be sleeping.

During one visit, Irizarry told a therapist she needed to leave the home, so the therapist left and waited outside in her car for about an hour, the report said. The therapist told police she never saw Irizarry leave the home, and instead saw the boy sneak out of his window to ask neighbors for food and water.

Police said the boy admitted his parents hit him with a belt and hair clippers. He told police that his parents lock him in his room without food and that last Christmas his mother broke his arm, according to the report.

The boy is now in DCF custody. It is unclear if his parents have an attorney. Both parents were ordered to have no contact wiht the child unless a family court judge gives approval.

DCF had a past case with the family, which was opened in July and closed last month.

Contact Us