El Paso Adoptive Parents Arrested for Decade-Long Son Confinement

Richard and Nora Ramirez, adoptive parents in El Paso, Texas, were arrested and charged with unlawful restraint after their 15-year-old adopted son revealed he had been locked in his bedroom and forced to use the restroom there for about 10 years, since he was five years old. The boy was reportedly only let out of his room for dinner before being returned immediately. The El Paso Police Department conducted a welfare check at the family's home on June 11 following allegations of neglect and confinement. The case was referred to the Crimes Against Children Unit due to the serious nature of the allegations, and an internal investigation was launched after it was revealed that Richard Ramirez was an employee of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, though he has since separated from the agency. Both parents were booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility with bonds set at $100,000 each. Authorities continue to investigate the case.