Custodial dad, step starved, battered 6-year-old son for months (Auburn, Washington)

Once again, we have a custodial dad-step combo who starved and abused a child--basically tortured him. Though as we often see, the fact that dad is custodial is not clearly defined. We merely hear mention of "the father" and "his wife", but to the careful reader, the point comes through.

We hear that the abuse started last fall--why? Is this when they gained custody?

And once again, the media has erased the mother from the picture. What happened to her? How did these sicko freaks get custody?

As we have stated many times before, whenever a father gains custody of a child--only to abuse, torture, rape, or kill said child--the question MUST be asked as to how he gained access.

Is the mother alive? If not, do we know for a fact that she died from natural causes?

Is the mother "missing"? If so, what are the circumstances?

Or did the mother lose custody through a war raged through the family courts? If so, who decided to give the father custody? What evidence of prior abusive behavior was ignored or overlooked?

Abusive single mothers typically have custody by the fact of giving birth. And because nobody else is interested in the possession of said child.

Abusive fathers, because they don't give birth, typically have custody by virtue of a SOCIAL and/or LEGAL DECISION. SOMEBODY made a decision that the father should have and retain custody, either deliberately or through inertia. And yet the media almost never tells us who these people are. And they are virtually never held responsible for the consequences.

Dad is identified as CHRISTOPHER SEFTON.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2599714/Boy-6-punched-forced-live-hot-dogs-oil-shakes-abusive-parents.html

Boy, 6, 'was punched and forced to live on hot dog and oil "shakes" by his abusive parents'

•Christopher Sefton and Lori Lloyd 'only gave boy a blended "shake" of bread, carrots, water, hot dog and vegetable oil'

•On other occasions, 'they withheld food from him and he would steal other children's food at school or go through trash to look for something to eat'

•Couple were arrested when teachers saw bruises on the boy's face 'after Sefton punched him for putting down food in his car as he tied his shoes'

•The Washington couple now both face criminal mistreatment charges

By Daily Mail Reporter
Published: 10:24 EST, 8 April 2014 | Updated: 10:26 EST, 8 April 2014

A six-year-old boy was starved, beaten and only fed gruesome hot dog, carrot and oil 'shakes' by his abusive parents, prosecutors have claimed.

The boy's father, Christopher Sefton, and his wife Lori Lloyd allegedly abused the boy for months at their Auburn, Washington home - even keeping the child out of school to hide his bruises.

The couple, who allegedly began abusing the boy in October as punishment for imagined misbehavior, now face felony charges, the Seattle Post Intelligencer reported.

They were arrested after a child protective services worker at the boy's school reported that he showed signs of abuse, including quick weight loss and bruising to his face.

The boy, who has not been named, told detectives that he was bruised after Sefton punched him for putting food on a car seat as he tied his shoe, according to court papers.

He also told child welfare workers that he had no been fed for several nights, while school staff also reported that he had been stealing food from other children or digging through the trash for food.

The child 'constantly states that he is hungry', a detective wrote in charging papers.

The boy also claimed he was only fed a blended 'shake' of 'bread, carrots, water, hot dog and vegetable oil' for breakfast and dinner.

He said he didn’t like the shakes, but drank them so he didn't go hungry, according to charging papers.

Sefton allegedly told authorities that he had fed the shakes to the boy, but insisted that the child would choke on solid foods. But this claim was refuted by investigators.

After the couple were arrested on March 20, the boy was taken to Seattle Children's Hospital, and medical staff noted signs of alleged abuse, including multiple bruises and possible burns.

'Over the course of several months, Sefton and Lloyd have shown a pattern (and) practice of withholding the basic necessities of life' from the boy, the detective said.

The couple have both been charged with second-degree criminal mistreatment, while Sefton has also been charged with second-degree assault. Neither has posted bond.