https://www.kcrg.com/2021/04/26/biological-mother-fights-for-son-after-des-moines-couple-allegedly-zip-tie-starve-him/Biological mother fights for son after Des Moines couple allegedly zip tie, starve him
Published: Apr. 26, 2021 at 3:11 PM UTC|Updated: 18 hours ago
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) - A biological mother is fighting to get her teenage son back.
This comes after a Des Moines couple is accused of zip tying and starving their adopted son, who has special needs.
Jennifer and Richard Ryan are charged with first degree kidnapping and neglect of a dependent person. They will appear in court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing.
The biological mother, Shelly Green, says she lost custody of her 16-year-old son in 2012 because she was abusing alcohol and living in poor conditions.
She says she is 10 years sober and thinks about her son every day.
Green lived just four blocks from her son for the last decade, but wasn’t allowed to see him.
She says the Ryans originally promised she could maintain a relationship with her son.
“Four blocks away because I always told him I would be close,” Green said. “And if I would have ever known something like this was happening to him, I would have done something a lot sooner.”
Green has contacted the Iowa Department of Human Services to try to start the process of getting her son back.
See the original story on KCCI.com.
