A California mother and grandmother are in custody after a teenage boy entered a grocery store bound and naked.
Employees at the Cost Less grocery store in Ceres, about 95 miles from San Francisco, were taken aback when a 15-year-old child ran in at 1:39 p.m. on Thursday. The child, who has autism, was bound at the wrists, according to the Ceres Police Department. Managers at the grocery store described the child as nonverbal and unable to communicate.
Multiple visible injuries suggested that the child had also been bound at the ankles. Emergency personnel took the teen to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The teenager’s mother, Leandra Renteria, 36, went to the grocery store looking for her son. That’s how police found her. During the investigation, authorities discovered that she had another autistic child, a 12-year-old girl, living at the family home. Police conducted a welfare check and discovered the girl safe in her home.
However, officials stated that the home was in poor condition and that they had no prior history of responding to the address.
Renteria, Gary Wilson, 58, and Lenore Wilson, 54, were arrested for child abuse and neglect and taken to the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center. It is unclear what the Wilsons’ connection is to the case. The Modesto Bee reported that Renteria’s mother is Lenore Wilson and her husband is Gary Wilson.
A county inmate search yielded no results for the suspects. The Independent emailed the sheriff’s office for more information.
Meanwhile, both children have been placed with Child Protective Services.
Del Ambris, the grocery store’s director, told the outlet that he was proud of how his employees handled the situation.
“Rather than dwell on what happened to this kid, let’s look at what’s going to happen to this kid,” according to him. “The bad part of his life, hopefully, now is changing.”
