Weeks after police arrested a New London man who is accused of abusing his 10-year-old stepson, locking him in a closet, beating him and depriving him of food and water, police charged the boy's mother.
New London police served Melissa Gregor, 38, of Moodus, with a warrant Thursday and she has been charged with risk of injury to a minor and several other offenses.
In March, police arrested 41-year-old Michael Gregor at his home in East Lyme. He was charged with first-degree strangulation, assault, cruelty to persons, reckless endangerment, unlawful restraint, and more.
Police said Melissa Gregor is the mother of the 10-year-old.
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The boy had been removed from school to hide evidence of his injuries, according to court documents.
Authorities said he was hospitalized after “living in squalor and inhumane conditions,” and described being “hog-tied,” bound in small spaces, including a wooden box, being beaten if he tried to eat food, and said he thought he was going to die.
WARNING: Details of the allegations are disturbing.
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The investigation started on Jan. 29 when officers responded to a diner to investigate a domestic disturbance and a woman told police that her husband had assaulted her in her apartment.
When officers went to the apartment, they found two children in a room and the 10-year-old boy in another room that had a deadbolt lock on the outside, according to court documents.
The boy was malnourished, had several bruises, hair loss and trauma to his ears, described as “cauliflower ear.”
The boy told police that he was being locked for hours in the room, which had only a layer of plastic on the floor, a blanket, and he slept there, court documents state.
There was also a three-foot-long piece of wood in the room that the boy told police Michael Gregor used to hit him.
According to court documents, the boy said he did not know why he was being treated so badly, but most of his communication with Michael Gregor was about using the bathroom and he would get assaulted if he said he did not have to go.
If he urinated on himself, he would be locked in the closet and could not change for days.
The boy told investigators that the abuse started in Norwich when he lied about taking some food and Michael Gregor hit him in the side of the head and injured his ear, according to court records. The family later moved to New London.
An arrest warrant also says there were holes in the sheetrock and the boy told officers they were caused when Michael Gregor kicked him until he could not breathe, then left him in the closet.
If he behaved, he said, he was moved from the closet to the room police found him in.
His mother had no choice but to help Michael Gregor because he would hit both of them if she said anything about what was happening, the boy reported, according to court records.
The boy was taken to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, then transferred to Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital.
Doctors said that he had several injuries, including rib fractures and a broken finger, and the child’s undernourishment was a major concern.
The child is now in the care of another family member.
Melissa Gregor has also been charged with conspiracy to commit assault in the second degree, conspiracy to commit unlawful restraint, conspiracy to commit cruelty to persons, conspiracy to commit strangulation in the first degree and conspiracy to commit reckless endangerment.
She was released on a $250,000 bond.
Michael Gregor pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him and he is due in court on June 23.
Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives by calling 860-447-1481. You can also leave an anonymous tip by texting NLPDTip plus the information to 847411.
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