Police: 10-Year-Old Boy Died After Five Days of Water Dehydration
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: You know, I don't often sit up here and say this, but I'm saying it today. I'm sharing this next story with you because it's one of those stories that makes me angry. Makes me sad and it makes me angry. Sad for a child whose life was cut short. Angry because there were red flags and he wasn't saved from horrible treatment that his little body just couldn't endure. These are photos of 10-year-old Jonathan James and his twin brother, Joseph. We know what happened in the days leading up to Jonathan's death last month in part because Joseph witnessed it. Investigators in Dallas say Jonathan was deprived of water for five days as punishment in late July, five days that ended when Jonathan collapsed from dehydration from shaking and moaning. Adults in the house, they called 911, but it was too late to revive him. He died at the hospital. And according to our affiliate WFAA in Dallas, the no water punishment was doled out because Jonathan had stolen guitar strings from his older stepbrother. There had also been other reports that Jonathan was being punished for wetting the bed. Listen to his surviving twin brother described what life was like at their father's home this summer.</s>JOSEPH JAMES, TWIN BROTHER DIED OF DEHYDRATION: They made him eat a PB&J;, peanut butter and jelly sandwich and the peanut butter got stuck in his throat, they still wouldn't let him have water. They made him stand in front of the window that they put an "x" on the floor and "x" on the window and the sun was coming straight through it and there was no air conditioning there, and I couldn't do nothing about it because if I said something I would end up getting in trouble, too.</s>BALDWIN: His father and stepmother were arrested this past Friday night, charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury. The boy's grandmother told the "Dallas Morning News," Jonathan had called her and said "Can I come to your house instead? I know I'm going to be n trouble while I'm there because I always am." Chilling words. Jonathan knew he'd be in trouble, but he had no way of knowing he would die. Would you imagine the fear he must have felt, it's hard to believe no one was able to save him. I am going to tell stories like Jonathan's just like I told you about Amy Diehl last month and Christian Choat the month before because they are children and they can't look after themselves and we can do better.