Kemp authorities were notified of a possible abuse situation, when officials at the school attended by the young teen victim noticed possible signs of mistreatment. Upon being interviewed, the child opened up to authorities and accused his mother and her boyfriend of torturing him after he did something inappropriate with the family dog. The child, who is not being named in any media reports, is reportedly "special needs" and is under the age of 14-years-old.
The unnamed victim told authorities that he had inserted his finger into the anus of the family dog. After doing so, he felt guilty, so he told his mother's boyfriend to "do the right thing." However, 45-year-old Casey Shackleford decided that he and 40-year-old Christi Howell were going to punish the special needs child, brutally. He reportedly grabbed the boy by his hair and held a towel over his face. He also allegedly made Howell pour cold water over the towel -- waterboarding the child.
Police also say that Howell tied a rope around the child's penis and testicles before tying it around his neck. She allegedly pushed him onto a couch, causing the rope to tighten around his genitals. She also supposedly admitted to doing this to her son, but she said that it was all her boyfriend's idea.
After admitting to this horrific crime against her son, Christi Howell has only been charged with injury to a child.