Michigan Parents Accused of Torturing Adopted Children, Forcing Them to Eat Dog Food, Oatmeal with Hot Sauce

For more than a decade, police say, a Michigan couple allegedly tortured their adopted children, and now they have been arrested.

According to court documents obtained by WWMT, Kris Jones, 57, and Alan Jones, 56, allegedly forced their children to sleep in the garage of their Wyoming, Michigan, home regardless of the weather as well as made them wear dog collars and eat dog food with milk, and oatmeal with hot sauce.

The alleged abuse was first reported in 2017 by a care provider, but nothing was done, according to the report.

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker told WWMT that a delayed response is common when concerns are raised.

Court documents show the couple adopted the children in 2011 and the alleged abuse began in 2013. According to the documents, one of the children was “pushed down stairs, held down, punched and choked.”

Investigators claimed another child had been seen eating food from a garbage can because she was “not being fed at home.”

The Joneses are accused of making the children run, sometimes for miles, if they acted out as a form of punishment.

A neighbor told WWMT that she found it odd when she saw the kids running laps around their house.

Kris Jones refused to cooperate with the investigation or allow Child Protective Services employees to speak with the children, according to court documents.

The Joneses were each charged with three counts each of torture and child abuse, authorities said. They were arraigned on Feb. 23 and both were denied bond.

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Neither the ages of the children nor whose custody they were in after their parents went to jail has been disclosed.

Court documents did state that the children underwent health evaluations, which showed they fell in the bottom four percent for weight and stature.