Boy, 15, Ran Naked into a Store After Escaping ‘Deplorable’ Home with ‘Feces and Urine Throughout.’ Now, 3 People Have Been Arrested

Authorities said the teenager was “bound at the wrists” when he entered a California grocery store this week

After a 15-year-old boy, who was “bound at the wrists,” ran naked into a California grocery store earlier this week, three people have been arrested for alleged child abuse and neglect, authorities said.

On Wednesday, March 26, around 1:39 p.m. local time, the Ceres Police Department (CPD) responded to reports of a “nude male running near Hatch Road and Richland Avenue,” the department wrote in a statement on Facebook.

When they arrived at the scene, CPD officers found the teen, who has autism, “bound at the wrists” inside the local Cost Less grocery store.

“There were also indicators that he may have been bound at the ankles with multiple visible injuries,” the department added, detailing that “emergency medical aid was dispatched to the scene, and the juvenile was transported to a local hospital for treatment.”

Per the CPD, the boy’s mother, Leandra Renteria, began looking for her son amid the investigation. As police learned that Renteria, 36, had another child, a 12-year-old girl who is also autistic, they performed a welfare check at the home and found the girl safe, but authorities said the residence was in “poor condition.”

“The living conditions were, you know, feces and urine throughout the house, strong odors, things that are very strong health hazards that nobody should be living in,” Lt. Jeff Godfrey told NBC affiliate KCRA.

Renteria was then arrested on charges of child abuse and neglect and booked at the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center, along with Gary Wilson and Lenore Wilson, per the police department.

KCRA reported that Lenore, 54, is the teen’s grandmother and Gary, 58, is her husband. The outlet said the Wilsons were no longer in police custody as of Thursday, March 27. It is not immediately clear if any of the individuals have obtained legal representation to comment on their behalf.

The two children have since been removed from the home and placed under the care of Child Protective Services, per police.

Those who were at the grocery store during the incident opened up to KCRA about what they witnessed.

Senior head clerk Rebecca Renard recalled the moment she saw the boy in trouble, telling the outlet, “I could hear people gasp like, you know, like a sound of shock, and I turned and when I did, the young gentleman was coming across the front end with no clothes on.”

“And he was dragging a rope — his left ankle where he had broken loose. That, and then he was very thin. He had a 75 to 100, maybe more bruises, several bruises all over his body,” she continued.

Manager David Avila added that he realized the teen was in danger and needed “help” since his wrists were stuck together and there was “another rope on his ankle.”

“[We] just kept telling him everything is going to be okay and kept patting him,” Renard explained, also mentioning that the employees covered the naked boy with a coat.