Police received a tip about possible child abuse and they found a boy tied up with his hands behind his back.

Over in Dallas, police arrived to 53-year-old Esmeralda Lira’s home late Sunday night. Esmeralda is the grandmother to a young boy that police believed was being abused. Esmeralda said the boy was with his mother and not on the property. A man who lives in the back of the property pointed police towards the shed.

Police found the six-year-old tied up with his hands behind his back. Esmeralda says this was the first time they had ever done this to the young boy. Esmeralda's boyfriend, Jose Balderas, allegedly did this to the boy after he accused him of stealing food. Jose said the boy was punished for two weeks.

The 6-year-old told officers he had been forced to sleep in the shed, and the alleged abuse started around the time he “got out of school for this corona thing.” Esmeralda and Jose face felony charges for endangering a child. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services confirms it is investigating. The 6-year-old boy, his 7-year-old sister and 4-year-old brother have been removed from the home and will be placed in foster care.

The Texas Department of Public Safety says during the coronavirus pandemic they have a decrease in child abuse calls. People like doctors, teachers and police officers, may not regularly be seeing children due to the coronavirus pandemic. “We all should be looking out for the children in our community, especially now that they’re not in school,” said Marissa Gonzales with Texas Department of Public Safety.

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