GRAPHIC: Parents charged in child abuse case that left boy dead, girl ‘skin and bones,’ police say

GRAPHIC WARNING: The details of this story may be disturbing to some readers.

TULSA, Okla. (Gray News) – Two parents in Oklahoma are facing multiple charges in a disturbing child abuse case that left an 11-year-old boy dead and a 13-year-old girl nothing but “skin and bones,” police said.

The Tulsa Police Department said Camille Lewis, the children’s mother, and John Miles, the children’s stepfather, have been charged in the case.

Police said the investigation began with a phone call from the children’s grandmother, who called law enforcement on Jan. 27 to report that a child had been missing for “several years” and was possibly dead, along with reporting “serious continued sexual abuse” to another child.

The grandmother told police that Lewis, who is her daughter, left the 13-year-old girl to live with the grandmother last September. The grandmother told police that the 13-year-old was “skin and bones” from malnourishment.

At the time, Lewis also told the grandmother that the 11-year-old boy was dead, the grandmother told police.

Following the police report from the grandmother, Child Crisis Detectives interviewed the 13-year-old girl to confirm the allegations.

The girl told detectives the abuse started in November 2020 and finally stopped in September 2022 when she went to live with her grandmother.

The girl told detectives that her mother and stepfather would lock her and her brother in separate closets for days at a time, deny them food and beat them with belts and cords.

The girl also said she was forced to urinate and defecate in a bag or cup inside the closet, as she was not allowed to use the bathroom.

When they were not locked in the closets, the girl told police sometimes she and her brother were forced to sleep in a doghouse outside in the backyard and exercise outdoors in freezing weather.

In addition, the girl said that Miles, the stepfather, would offer her food “in exchange for sexual favors,” police said.

When detectives asked the girl what happened to her brother, she told them that in March 2021, she heard her mother crying and begging the boy to wake up, but he never did.

The girl said her mom later told her that the boy had a seizure and died, and they did not take him to the hospital because they did not want to get in trouble, police said.

The girl also revealed to detectives that Miles and a cousin buried the boy’s body in a park. The girl also said that Miles later went back to the park, dug up the body, brought it back to the house, and burned it in a barrel. Police said the ashes were discarded in a drainage system, according to the girl.

Following the investigation, last week, on Feb. 7, Lewis was taken into police custody.

Tulsa police said Lewis admitted to abusing her children and causing the scars that are all over her daughter’s body.

However, police said Lewis did not admit to the death of her son. She told police the boy ran away two years ago and has not been seen since.

The day after Lewis’ arrest, on Feb. 8, Miles was also taken into police custody.

So far, the two have been charged with child abuse by injury and child neglect. Their bonds are currently set at $600,000 each.

Miles has also been charged with child sexual abuse. According to jail records, he is a former convicted felon.

Tulsa police said more charges are expected, as they are investigating the boy’s disappearance as a homicide.

The boy’s remains have not been found, according to police.

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