NORTH MANKATO, Minn. -
Police allege child starvation, and a North Mankato couple could face up to five years in prison.
Russell and Mona Hauer, both 44, are charged with child endangerment in Nicollet County.
Nicollet County investigators say that when the eight year old boy was taken to the hospital in Mankato on October 9th, he weighed less than 35 pounds. That's the weight of an average three or four year old.
Authorities also say his blood tests were low on nearly every measure, and he was transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care in Rochester.
Investigators allege the starvation centers around the parents' attempts to deal with the child's habit of regurgitating food, which led to rotting teeth.
The criminal complaint states that the boy was not seeing a medical doctor, with the Hauers choosing holistic medicine instead, and the liquid diet he was placed on was discussed with a chiropractor, David Otto in Mankato.
Otto did not return a call placed this afternoon.
Authorities maintain that the child's syndrome comes from starvation.
Marc Chadderdon, investigator with the Nicollet County Sheriff's Office, says, "This is probably the worst case of child neglect I've had in my career and just a sad incident."
The Hauer's are licensed with the state of Minnesota as a foster family.
Currently they have a ten-year-old biological child in their home, along with an adopted seven and five year old that are siblings of the starved eight-year-old boy.
The complaint also contains allegations of the Hauers using a 2X4 and a broom handle to punish the child.
The Hauer's also allegedly placed an alarm on the basement door that would go off if he came upstairs during the night looking for food.
Russell and Mona Hauer are scheduled to appear in Nicollet County Court on December 11th, at 11 a.m.
They have been charged with six felony counts, for child endangerment and malicious punishment of a child.
