'Smelled like rotting meat': Dad left his disabled son in a bathtub for nearly 2 months until his 'muscles were gone,' police say

An Arizona begetter allegedly near his disabled big lad successful a bathtub for 7 weeks, with cops saying the antheral "smelled similar rotting meat" and was "only tegument and bones" erstwhile they recovered him.

"Officers entered the residence and instantly noticed a strong, pungent odor," an apprehension affidavit obtained by Law&Crime says astir the location wherever Melvin Shimkus, 52, allegedly kept his 31-year-old lad successful a tub.

Police were conducting a payment cheque connected Monday, June 29, erstwhile they discovered the "extremely emaciated" victim, the affidavit says. His close limb was being held by "small ropes" and his close ft was "extremely deformed," according to police.

An serviceman said helium moved the ablution curtain successful the bath and noticed that the son's close genu was "bent 90 degrees successful the other direction," per the affidavit.

"From his genu to his foot, it appeared the muscles were gone, leaving lone tegument and bone," the papers recounts. "Both his little legs were purple."

The antheral was "covered successful feces" and had been successful the bathtub since mid-May, according to constabulary and the man's uncle, whom Shimkus was surviving with.

Shimkus told officers helium had been caring for his lad "for astir a year" and that helium had a "nerve disease" successful which helium can't locomotion and had "very constricted usage of his hands," the affidavit says.

Shimkus claimed helium placed his lad successful the bathtub a week earlier the payment check. He told constabulary helium checked connected his lad and "noticed that 1 of his legs was bent 90 degrees successful the other absorption astatine the knee," according to the affidavit.

"The suspect offered to instrumentality his lad … to the hospital, but the unfortunate said nary aggregate times," the affidavit says, citing statements Shimkus made to police. The uncle besides told cops that the lad refused to spell to the infirmary but said Shimkus' timeline was off.

"At times helium could odor feces from the bath wherever the unfortunate was located," the uncle said. The man's aunt besides stated that the unfortunate had been successful the bathtub for respective weeks, but she did not cognize precisely however many.

"She could not support way of time," the affidavit says. "She could not retrieve when, but astatine 1 constituent she was informed that the victim's limb was backwards."

The aunt told AZ Family that "everything was done that we could do," according to the outlet. She said that constabulary and paramedics had been called connected May 16 but they were incapable to get the lad to spell to the hospital.

"Everyone tried to person [the son] to go," the aunt said. "When the paramedics came, helium said no. They turned astir and walked off, said we can't interaction him. He's an adult."

Shimkus is charged with susceptible big abuse and was being held this week successful Maricopa County connected a $12,000 bond. The lad was hospitalized aft the latest payment check; his information was not known arsenic of Thursday.