15-year-old found in grocery store with bound wrists, CA cops say. Mom charged

A woman was arrested after being accused of abusing her 15-year-old son, California officials said.

On March 26, Ceres police got reports of a teenage boy running outside, according to a Facebook post by the police department.

When officers arrived, they found him inside a grocery store with his wrists bound, authorities said.

“He had 75 to 100, maybe more, bruises … several bruises all over his body,” the supermarket’s senior head clerk, Rebecca Renard, told KCRA.

Officers also found evidence that he may have been bound at the ankles, officials said.

During their investigation, the boy’s mom came looking for him, officers said.

McClatchy News is not naming the woman to protect the identity of her children.

Officials learned that she also had a 12-year-old daughter at her home and when they conducted a welfare check, they found the residence to be in deplorable condition, officials said.

“The living conditions were, you know, feces and urine throughout the house,” Jeff Godfrey with the Ceres Police Department told KCRA. “Strong odors, things that are very, you know, strong health hazards that nobody should be living in.”

Three adults were arrested and charged with child abuse and neglect, officials said.

The children were placed under Child Protective Services’ care, officials said.

Ceres is about an 80-mile drive southeast of Sacramento.

This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 6:04 PM with the headline "15-year-old found in grocery store with bound wrists, CA cops say. Mom charged."