A malnourished 14-year-old Cheyenne boy was forced by his mother and her live-in boyfriend to drink gallons of water daily while being banished to a basement where he slept on the floor and forced to wash his urine-stained clothing in a bathtub, according to court records.
Stephanie Linke, 36, and Michael Gruchacz, 35, each face two counts of aggravated child abuse in the case pending in First Judicial District Court. Prosecutors say the mistreatment lasted four months.
The alleged abuse came to light on the evening of Oct. 16, when the couple took the boy to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by Cheyenne police.
Linke told hospital staff her son had been starving himself and refused to drink, according to the affidavit. She told medical personnel she had been forcing him to consume about 2 gallons during the day, police said.
She said the boy had a history of behavioral issues and refused to eat because she wouldn’t provide him with junk food and soda.
Hospital staff discovered that the boy, who is 5-foot-4 and weighed about 92 pounds at the time, had a “long-term” untreated wound behind his ear and other bruises and scrapes.
Neither Linke nor Gruchacz seemed concerned about the boy’s welfare, staff said.
Linke is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 16. Gruchacz has waived his right to a preliminary hearing and has been bound over for trial in Laramie County District Court, according to court records.
Gruchacz has bonded out of jail, while bail for Linke has been set at $50,000.
Witness Statements
The boy’s mass consumption of water resulted in hyponatremia, a condition where the sodium level in the blood is too low. He would not have survived if he hadn’t received medical care, according to hospital staff.
Physicians at Children’s Hospital in Aurora, Colorado, who were responsible for the boy’s care, told police that scars, marks, and bruising on his body are consistent with abuse and malnutrition.
They also disputed Gruchacz's claim that the boy refused to eat, noting that during 11 days at the hospital, he gained 11 pounds.
A forensic interviewer spoke with the victim’s brother, who said the boy was required to eat while standing at a specific spot at the counter inside Linke and Gruchacz’s home, adding that he usually only consumed ramen and oatmeal, the affidavit states.
Additionally, the boy only left the basement where he lived when summoned by Linke and Gruchacz, his brother told police.
A Cheyenne police detective noted the boy was voraciously eating a plate of pancakes during an interview at Children’s Hospital on Oct. 18.
The boy said he lived with Linke and Gruchacz for about four months, and before that with his grandmother.
He also told the detective that Gruchacz used corporal punishment on him, describing a “karate chop” to the neck area for acting out.
The boy had no idea how he got the numerous scrapes, bruises, and marks on his body, but noted that the significant injury to his ear was caused by sunburn from pulling weeds outdoors as punishment, the affidavit states.
Video Footage
He said Linke told him he needed to drink his weight in water every day to be properly hydrated and had been washing his clothes by hand in a bathtub in the basement as punishment for urine that accidentally got on his clothing in a laundry basket.
As part of their investigation, detectives also reviewed numerous videos from home surveillance cameras inside Linke and Gruchacz’s home.
In one video recorded in the basement, Gruchacz, who was with Linke and the boy, purportedly comments, “Ya know, if you suspend him by his feet and make a small slit, all the blood in his body will drain out.”
In another video, Gruchacz can purportedly be seen pacing in front of the boy before taking him to the hospital.
“We will report everything you have done since that is the only way we can protect your mom,” the affidavit states.
Scott Schwebke can be reached at scott@cowboystatedaily.com.
