GALVESTON (KYTX) — A boy reported missing last month ran away from home because he didn't want to be locked in an 8-foot-by-6-foot particle board box, authorities said.
The boy, 9, went missing July 22, prompting Galveston police to release his name and picture so the public might be able to facilitate his speedy and safe return.
Police found the boy three hours later, which led to an investigation by police and Child Protective Services.
"We were concerned about his living situation," Gwen Carter, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services, said.
Although no charges have been filed in the case, Galveston County Criminal District Attorney Jack Roady confirmed Friday that there is an ongoing investigation. Galveston police declined to discuss the matter.
Information from one of the officers who found the boy led Galveston police detective Holly Johnson to file a search warrant affidavit in the Galveston County District Clerk's Office that led to the seizure of a host of items, including computer equipment.
Johnson wrote in the affidavit she was searching for evidence of the possession or promotion of child pornography.
Although The Daily News published the boy's name last month, the newspaper doesn't publish the names of those who might be victims of sex crimes.
The boy told the officer who found him that he "ran away from home because he did not want to be locked in his room," the search warrant affidavit states.
After a judge signed the search warrant, Galveston police spoke to the boy's father, who is identified in the affidavit. The father showed Johnson an 8-foot-by-6-foot particle board box in the laundry room. Police accused the man of keeping his son locked inside the room, according to information in the affidavit.
Police found only a small blanket, socks and a book inside the room, the affidavit states.
On July 24, a representative with the Child Advocacy Center interviewed the boy, who claimed his father and stepmother used a marker to write words such as liar and thief on his arm while he was naked in the room, the affidavit states.
Police also accused the boy's father of using his cell phone to take a picture of the naked boy and of threatening to post the photograph to a social media website, the affidavit states.
Police seized shackles with a handcuff key, drug paraphernalia, cell phones, computer equipment and a book, "The Lost Boy," among other things from the home, according to a search warrant return list.
The state reached an agreement with his family that the boy would be placed in foster care, Gwen said.
The court appointed an attorney to act in the best interest of the boy, and the next court hearing on the Child Protective Services matter is scheduled for September, Gwen said.
