Looks can be deceiving, they say, and in the case of the Davis family this turned to be very true.
Daniel Andrew Davis, 37, and his wife Kelley Lynne, 36, have always been considered a normal couple. They had five daughters together and lived an ordinary life. Well, at least that is what their neighbors thought.
To everyone’s surprise, the Davis family also had a son, an eight-year-old boy who never saw the sunlight and spent his whole life locked in a tiny room with no electricity. The only thing in that filthy room covered in urine and feces were a blanket and a mattress.
The story of the severe neglect and abuse came to light after the boy set the blanket on fire and authorities visited the house to inspect the matter. When they discovered the dark and dirty room, they were shocked.
HAPPENING NOW: @PascoSheriff describes “deplorable” conditions Spring Hill parents kept their child in – locked in a room with no electricity/windows boarded up since early March. The child lit a mattress in the room on fire to eventually escape. @abcactionnews
— Ryan Smith (@RyanReports) October 6, 2020
It was later reported by Fox 13, that none of the girls was ever treated in the manner the family’s son was.
None of the neighbors has ever seen the boy. They said that they had no idea he was living in the house. The girls, on the other hand, were always let to play outside. When the parents were arrested, the father “freely admitted, without hesitation, that the dogs in the household had more freedom and better living conditions than the victim,” according to detectives.
Before the fire incident, there were 911 calls made from the house, but no one suspected abuse was taking place there. One of the neighbors, Charles Clutter, told Tampa Bay Times, “They seemed normal. You truly don’t know who your neighbors are.”
The evil and sadistic parents were released on $10,000 bonds on October 5.