SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Suffolk police say they found four children living in filthy conditions inside a couple’s home on Holland Road, including a boy tied up in a bathroom.
50-year-old James Ray Peck and 45-year-old April Marie Peck have been charged with abduction and kidnapping, abuse and neglect of children and cruelty and injuries to children. Both are in the Western Tidewater Regional Jail.
Police say they made the arrests after responding to the married couple’s home in the 1200 block of Holland Road around 9 p.m. Thursday night, after receiving a tip about alleged child abuse.
During the welfare check, officers found James Peck in the backyard and he gave them permission to enter the home, according to a criminal complaint.
Inside were four children living in squalid conditions, including a boy being held inside a bathroom, on the toilet with one of his arms tied to one of his legs, the complaint reads.
The complaint shows April Peck admitted to tying him up and leaving him in a bathtub for about an hour.
James Peck told police he saw the child restrained when he got home from work that day around 8:30 p.m., but left the child bound, checking on him occasionally.
Police say the preliminary investigation shows the Pecks had custody of the children, which were removed from the home by Child Protective Services. Drug paraphernalia was also found inside the home, police said.
Police didn’t have additional information about the case in a press release Friday, but said the investigation is ongoing.
