The Georgia parents charged with attempted murder for starving their 10-year-old son are also accused of physically abusing him in front of their four other children.
Shocking court documents show that Tyler Schindley, 46, and his wife Krista, 47, are charged with committing third-degree child abuse by having their four other children physically assault the boy multiple times as of 2020 and/or hear’ until 2023.
The documents state that both parents maliciously inflicted “excessive physical or mental pain” on the emaciated boy before neighbors saw him roaming the streets of Griffin, GA, barefoot on Friday.
The starving boy was confined to a bedroom and left alone in the home “for extended periods of time and on multiple occasions, without access to light, food, clothing, or adult interaction and/or assistance,” the affidavit claims. .
The Schindleys, whose home is estimated to be worth $447,000 and who together ran the True REST spa in Peachtree City, are also accused of letting a “dental injury and disfigurement” the boy suffered go unattended.
The couple has been charged with attempted murder, in addition to several counts of child abuse
The Schindleys’ home in Griffin, Georgia, estimated to be worth $447,000
Tyler and Krista Schindley were arrested shortly after neighbors in an upscale enclave of Griffin, Georgia saw their son wandering the streets hungry and confused before pleading with police officers to “please don’t let him go back.”
Authorities quickly determined that the child had been deliberately starved and weighed about 36 pounds — the weight of an average four-year-old.
According to officials, the boy was not the oldest or youngest of the five siblings living in the home.
Authorities did not share information about the condition of the other children, all of whom were homeschooled, but said it appeared the 10-year-old boy was the only one left hungry.
The four other children have been placed under the supervision of Georgia Child Protective Services, according to law enforcement.
Tyler Schindley voluntarily came to the local police after his son was found and spoke to investigators. Krista Schindley was subsequently arrested after a separate interview.
The boy has been transported to a local hospital where he is being treated for malnutrition and a low heart rate. He also suffered the “dental injury and disfigurement” that his parents reportedly failed to treat.
While the 10-year-old recovers in the hospital, the four other children have been placed under the supervision of Georgia’s Child Protection Agency, according to law enforcement. Pictured: Krista and Tyler in a 2013 photo on her social media
Krista Schindley (center right) poses with her oldest son Ethan Washburn (center left) at a Float Spa booth. Ethan does not live at home and is not one of the four children named in the statement
Police in Griffin arrested Tyler and Krista Schindley after neighbors saw their emaciated son roaming the streets on Friday. Pictured: Krista and Tyler in a photo from her social media earlier this year
The owners of the True Rest Spas have since distanced themselves from the Schindleys, saying they are ‘appalled and appalled’ by the arrest
The couple has been charged with second-degree attempted murder and attempted murder with intent, in addition to the child abuse charges.
The pair are due to appear in court on Monday.
The couple’s neighbor, Kim Seigler, told Fox5 that she had previously worried about Schindley’s children.
“The fact that they’re my neighbors… just made me feel bad… like I should have been more careful,” she said.
According to public records, Tyler and Krista Schindley were only written up for minor traffic violations, including speeding, a wrong turn, and an expired registration.
Krista is said to have been a franchise owner of the Peachtree City True Rest Float Spa and both she and husband Tyler managed the spa together.
Tyler’s Facebook page also listed him as a manager at an Under Armor store in McDonough.
In a Mother’s Day promo posted to True Rest Float Spa’s Instagram page on May 1, Krista Schindley is seen ushering a guest into a spa room.
Since her arrest, the owners of the True Rest Spas have distanced themselves from Krista, saying they are “shocked and appalled” by the arrests.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the company wrote, “As owners of True REST McDonough and Peachtree, we are shocked and appalled by the news about the Schindleys. True REST is committed to protecting the spa as a safe environment for our customers and our employees. This surgical team has been replaced. True REST’s mission remains to provide an accessible float therapy experience for anyone struggling with pain, stress and insomnia.”
Kim Seigler, a neighbor of the Schindleys, who said she often worried about the children in that house
Schindley and his wife are charged with attempted murder and a handful of child abuse counts
A child’s bicycle is on display at the Griffin property where Krista and Tyler Schindley’s 10-year-old son was reportedly kept in his room without being locked until he weighed just 36 pounds
The family’s posh home in Griffin, Georgia
Ethan Washburn, the oldest son of Krista and Tyler Schindley, opened the door of their childhood home in Griffin, Georgia, and told a reporter, “I’m not that close to the situation right now, I’m just watching the house.”
Prosecutor Marie Broder said at a press conference on Tuesday, “This child, simply put, was starving and it’s tragic.”
“I do believe that if he hadn’t gotten out of that house, this would be a completely different case,” she added.
“This case is just disturbing. It’s heartbreaking,” said Broder, who has spent most of her career prosecuting child molester suspects.
“As a mother, I can’t comprehend it. As a human it breaks your heart. We’re not releasing any photos of this kid for obvious reasons, but I can tell you, the photos are absolutely horrific, and anyone with a human heart looking at them should be shocked to the bone.”
Ethan Washburn, the eldest of the couple’s children – although he doesn’t share a last name with Tyler Schindley – was at the family home on Tuesday.
He told Fox5 he had no connection to the ongoing case: “I’m not too close to the situation right now, I’m just looking at the house. I don’t really have any comment,” he said before confirming that the couple are his parents.
Ethan is listed as a branch manager for the same spa chain his mother worked for before her arrest.
Ethan does not live in the family home in Georgia and is not one of the children named in court documents.