A Utah mom faces child abuse charges for allegedly locking her 12-year-old son in a pitch-black bathroom of her home for at least one year, PEOPLE confirms.

The boy, now under the care of physicians, was allegedly so malnourished he weighed only 30 pounds and was incapable of standing on his own, Washington County Sheriff’s Lt. David Crouse tells PEOPLE.

Likening his alleged living conditions to a “torture chamber,” Crouse believes the boy might have been in the bathroom of the Toquerville home for two years.

 

Utah Mom Allegedly Locked 12-Year-Old Son in Bathroom For Over a Year and Starved Him: ‘Like a Horror Movie’

 

What in the hell is wrong with people?

You can't do that for more than a month...tops.

What is wrong with people?! Dogs are treated better than this lady treated her kid. If you don't want kids, do something to make sure you don't have them.

What is wrong with people?! Dogs are treated better than this lady treated her kid. If you don't want kids, do something to make sure you don't have them.

 

Preach it. In my opinion she loses all claims to the kid from here on out, and I could even be talked into her having tubes tied so that she can't have any other kids and potentially do the same to them.

I can't imagine how damaging this would be to a 12-year old. Lifelong damage.

30 pounds. I can't even imagine what that looks like.

The story says she's 36, but the pic looks like she's going on 56. I can only imagine what regular life not confined to the darkened bathroom would be like, let alone the horror reality this boy faced.

If that boy was in that bathroom for as much as 2 years, as the story suggests, how often was his dad visiting? He absolutely had to be somewhat complicit in this. How old are the siblings? Why didn't they tell anyone about their missing brother?

That kid weighed just 30 lbs. He'll be lucky to survive organ failure. Ugh.

What the heck are the other kids thinking? I wonder how old they are.

 

The dad hadn't seen his son in over a year?

Has anyone ever read The Boy Named It? This reminds me of that.

30 pounds. I can't even imagine what that looks like.

 

My kid turned 2 in November, he too weighs 30 lbs

Special place in hell for people like this. She has earned her spot.

Preach it. In my opinion she loses all claims to the kid from here on out, and I could even be talked into her having tubes tied so that she can't have any other kids and potentially do the same to them.

 

Talked into her having her tubes tied? Really. That's a tough punishment for the hell she put a kid through. I think I can come up with something a little more severe.