Patricia L. Siercks and Joshua J. Gusman: Parents charged over emaciated 4yo son ‘locked in dog crate’

WARNING: Disturbing details

The parents of an emaciated boy who was verging on fatal organ failure have been charged with child abuse.

Police are investigating claims he endured years of abuse that included being locked in a dog crate while the rest of the family ate meals.

Patricia L. Siercks, 34, and Joshua J. Gusman, 32, are behind bars in Missouri after authorities raised the alarm when they took their son to Golden Valley Memorial Hospital on June 17.

Hospital records showed the stick-thin four-year-old had put on less than 500 grams in more than two years.

He weighed just over 10kg, but at his age should have weighed twice that.

Doctors said he was just days away of his organs shutting down.

When asked about her son’s condition, Ms Siercks allegedly claimed the boy was a “picky eater” and that she spent $400 a week on food.

Hospital staff called in police when they noticed bruising on the boy who was unable to communicate.

A probable cause police affidavit cited by local news outlets outlined a series of concerns, including that the boy appeared to be “very thin” and that he had bruises around his eye and temple area and a scratch under his left eye.

An officer detailed in the affidavit how Siercks allegedly admitted she had “slapped and punched” the boy in the face after she grew frustrated with him, causing the eye bruising.

Siercks told the officer she was advised in November 2024 to supplement her son’s meals with nutritional supplement Pediasure to help him gain weight but that she stopped giving it to him after four months because that was “all he wanted to have”.

A hospital growth chart showed he then lost most of the 3kgs he had gained while on the supplement.

Two weeks after that visit, social workers at a different hospital, Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, again raised concerns about the boy with police.

He was admitted with a concerning heart rhythm caused by malnutrition, according to an arrest warrant.

Doctors claimed he had refeeding syndrome — when someone who is malnourished is fed too quickly — and was “within days of fatal organ failure”.

They said he had endured “acute childhood torture, long-term starvation, imbalanced electrolytes due to dehydration, and stunted growth”, KHSB reported.

Days later his parents were arrested.

Local news station KCTV reported that after his arrest, Mr Gusman admitted that his son would occasionally be locked in a dog crate while the rest of the family ate.

He also claimed the boy had been abused for two years, with him allegedly having to intervene a number of times when Siercks had physically abused the boy.

The pair are now facing years behind bars, if convicted. Siercks has been charged with two counts of abuse of a child. Gusman has been charged with abuse of a child (serious emotional or physical injury) and endangering the welfare of a child.

Young people seeking support can phone beyondblue on 1300 22 4636 or go to headspace.org.au.

If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, phone 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Crisis Care Helpline on 1800 199 008.