ELDORA, Iowa- Two northern Iowans are charged with Kidnapping, and are in custody in the Hardin County Jail.
The Sheriff's Office says 39-year-old Traci Tyler and 30-year-old Alex Shadlow, both of Ackley, are both being held on half million dollar, cash only bonds.
They are scheduled to appear in court tomorrow (Thursday).
A criminal complaint accuses the pair of confining and abusing Shadlow's then-eight-year-old son, in a 6-by-6 foot area under the basement stairs for prolonged periods of time in July, August, and September of 2017.
The complaint states the child was forced to sleep on the floor and use a small tin coffee can as a toilet. The affidavit also says the boy’s father urged their dog to bite him.
According to the complaint, Shadlow told the boy there a dog had died or was buried in the same space he was confined within, “all of which amounted to the knowing infliction of mental torture.”
The child had permanent scarring on his back and limbs and also suffered from complications of PTSD.
Teachers reported possible signs of abuse to the Iowa Department of Human Services, saying the boy exhibited signs of food-seeking, low body weight, and hair falling out in patches.
The boy also told a teacher that he was locked in the basement under stairs each day after school and not allowed out until the next morning.
Shadlow is the boy’s biological father and Tyler is Shadlow’s girlfriend.
The investigation has been conducted by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Ackley Police, Harden County Sheriff's Office, and the Hardin County Attorney's Office.