The Georgia parents, who are accused of attempted murder for starving their 10-year-old son, are also accused of physically abusing him in front of their four other children.
Shocking court documents show Tyler Schindley, 46, and his wife Krista, 47, have been charged with third-degree child cruelty by allowing their four other children to “see and/or hear” multiple physical abuses against the boy from 2020 to 2023.
The documents say both parents willfully inflicted “excessive physical or mental pain” on the emaciated boy before neighbors walked him barefoot through the streets of Griffin, Georgia on Friday.
The starving boy was locked in a bedroom and “left alone in the home for extended periods of time and on multiple occasions, without access to light, food, clothing, or adult interaction and/or help,” the affidavit said.
The Schindleys, whose home is estimated at $447,000 and who together ran the True REST Spa in Peachtree City, are also accused of leaving the boy’s “dental injury and disfigurement” unattended.
The couple have been charged with attempted murder and multiple counts of child molestation
The Schindleys’ home in Griffin, Georgia, which is estimated to be worth $447,000
Tyler and Krista Schindley were arrested shortly after neighbors in an upscale enclave in Griffin, Georgia, found their son wandering the streets hungry and confused before he begged cops to “please don’t force him to come back.”
Authorities quickly determined the child had been deliberately starved and weighed about 36 pounds — the weight of an average four-year-old.
According to officials, the boy was neither the eldest nor the youngest of the five siblings living in the home.
Authorities did not share information about the condition of the other children, who were all homeschooled, but said the 10-year-old boy appeared to be the only one who starved.
The four other children were placed in the care of the Georgia Child Care Department, according to law enforcement.
Tyler Schindley volunteered to join local police after his son was found and spoke to investigators. Krista Schindley was subsequently arrested after a separate interview.
The boy was taken to a local hospital, where he is being treated for malnutrition and a low heart rate. He also suffered from the “dental injury and disfigurement,” which his parents reportedly failed to treat.
While the 10-year-old is recovering in hospital, the other four children have been placed in the care of the Georgia Child Care Department, according to law enforcement
Krista Schindley (center right) poses with her eldest son Ethan Washburn (center left) at a Float Spa booth. Ethan does not live in the home and is not one of the four children named in the affidavit
Griffin police arrested Tyler and Krista Schindley after neighbors found their emaciated son on the street Friday
The owners of the True Rest Spas have since distanced themselves from the Schindleys, saying they are “appalled and shocked” by the arrest
The pair were charged with attempted second-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in addition to child cruelty charges.
The couple are due in court on Monday.
The couple’s neighbor Kim Segler told Fox5 that she had previously been worried about the Schindley children.
“The fact that they’re my neighbors … just made me feel bad … like I should have been more considerate,” she said.
According to public records, Tyler and Krista Schindley have only been charged with minor traffic offenses so far, including speeding, taking a wrong turn and having an expired license.
It is believed that Krista was the franchise owner of the Peachtree City True Rest Float Spa and that she and her husband Tyler ran the spa together.
Tyler’s Facebook page also listed him as manager of an Under Armor store in McDonough.
In a Mother’s Day promotion posted on May 1st on the True Rest Float Spa’s Instagram page, Krista Schindley can be seen leading a guest into a spa chamber.
Since her arrest, the owners of True Rest Spa have distanced themselves from Krista, saying they are “appalled and shocked” by the arrests.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the company wrote, “As owners of True REST McDonough and Peachtree, we are appalled and shocked at the news of the Schindleys.” True REST is doing everything it can to ensure the spa is a safe environment for our customers and employees protection. This task force has been replaced. “True REST’s mission remains to provide an accessible floating therapy experience for anyone struggling with pain, stress and insomnia.”
Kim Segler, a neighbor of the Schindleys, who said she often worried about the children in that home
Schindley is accused along with his wife of attempted murder and several counts of child cruelty
A children’s bike can be seen at the property in Griffin where Krista and Tyler Schindley’s 10-year-old son was allegedly kept locked in his room until he weighed just 36 pounds
The family’s upscale home in Griffin, Georgia
Ethan Washburn, Krista and Tyler Schindley’s eldest son, opened the door to their family home in Griffin, Georgia, and told a reporter, “I’m not too close to the situation right now, I’m just observing the house.”
District Attorney Marie Broder said during a news conference on Tuesday, “This child has simply starved to death and that is tragic.”
“I firmly believe that if he hadn’t come out of this house, this would be a very different case,” she added.
“This case is just disturbing.” “It’s heartbreaking,” said Broder, who has spent most of her career prosecuting child abuse suspects.
“As a mother, I can’t understand it.” As a person, it’s heartbreaking. We are not releasing photos of this child for obvious reasons, but I’m telling you, the photos are absolutely horrific and anyone with a human heart looking at them should be shaken to the core.”
Ethan Washburn, the couple’s eldest child – although he doesn’t share a last name with Tyler Schindley – was at the family home on Tuesday.
He told Fox5 that he has no connection to the ongoing case: “I’m not too close to the situation at the moment, I’m just monitoring the house. I don’t actually have any comment on that,” he said, before confirming that the couple were his parents.
Ethan is listed as a branch manager of the same chain of spas his mother worked for prior to her arrest.
Ethan does not live at the family home in Georgia and is not one of the children mentioned in the court documents.