More charges forthcoming against trio after central Pennsylvania boy was living in ‘Hell,’ DA says

LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — Additional charges are forthcoming against three central Pennsylvania residents in a child abuse case where a young boy was found alone and naked by a road, according to the district attorney.

The three residents – Stephanie Schaffner, 42; Jade Shuey, 21, both of Lebanon; and Tucker Heagy, 20, of Jonestown – will face felony counts of aggravated assault of a child, unlawful restraint and conspiracy, according to Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf.

Hess Graf said in a statement that the five-year-old boy was living in “Hell.”

“He lived locked behind caged bars, able to look out at his family but not live a real life. He existed in pure filth. His mother and grandmother failed him,” Hess Graf said. “Every second of every minute of every day, that child deserved a better life and maternal love. Our Office intends to fully prosecute these heinous criminals and hold them fully accountable for the abuse. It’s a sad reality that their prison cells will be far cleaner and far more accommodating than the living conditions they intentionally created for that little boy.”

Hundreds of flies, cats, cigarette butts, beer bottles and cartons, piles of garbage and an “enormous” amount of items made it impossible to walk through the home, Hess Graf said. The only usable fridge was on the outside porch, as the one inside was covered in filth.

According to Hess Graf, the boy’s bedroom was the worst.

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A gate was across his bedroom door to cage the boy inside, and it was reinforced with zip ties, string and duct tape. Wooden boards were nailed across the doorway to prevent the boy from climbing over the gate.

Hess Graf described how the entire floor was covered with trash, feces and urine, and how the windows to the room were covered with cardboard.

“The child lacked a single square foot of clean, habitable space inside his room,” Hess Graf said.

The carpet in the bedroom was removed and balled up in the basement, and it reeked of urine and feces, she said.

Pennsylvania State Police discovered the disgusting conditions of the home after passing motorists saw the boy naked and alone, clutching a blanket in the area of Quarry Road/S Lancaster Street in Swatara Township on July 10.

The boy, who is non-verbal, was taken to the hospital for an evaluation.

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Upon finding the home he lived in along N. Poplar Street, Troopers saw that a door to the home and a car door were both open. Inside were Shaffner, his grandmother, and Heagy, while Shuey, the child’s mother, was not present at the time.

The trio allegedly admitted to leaving the boy caged in his room for days at a time, and he was not allowed to use the bathroom. He was often left alone by his biological mother for “substantial periods” at a time, according to Hess Graf.

They told PSP that Shuey would often leave the home, leaving Shaffner and Heagy to take care of the boy.

When the boy previously left the home, he went to the neighbors, who told PSP they would often hear arguments about who was going to take care of the child, Hess Graf said.

Shuey and Heagy had their preliminary hearings and their charges were bound over and held for court. Shaffner’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 6. All three are in Lebanon County Prison.

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