Mother Learns of Son's Death Only After Smelling His Decomposing Body
It wasn't until Kimberly Tutko noticed an odor coming from the third floor of her home that she says she learned of her 8-year-old son's death, the AP reports.
Jarrod Nicholas Tutko Sr., 38, showed his wife the body of Jarrod Jr. on Friday. The mom, after pulling back a sheet, realized the boy had been dead for days, according to PennLive.com.
"I said to him 'Why didn't you say anything?'" Kimberly Tutko told PennLive.com. "He said he was too afraid to say anything because of other kids in the house." The media outlet was allowed to walk through the family home in Harrisburg, PA., taking pictures of the boy's squalid, feces-covered bedroom, where he allegedly died.
Jarrod Jr., who had autism and Fragile X Syndrome, lived on the third floor of the home and was cared for by his father. There were five other children in the home, all of whom have been removed by the county. Kimberly Tutko said she primarily took care of their daughter, who is blind and bedridden.
It's not clear how Jarrod Jr. died, but an autopsy will be conducted next week.
Jarrod Tutko was charged with concealing the death of a child, abuse of a corpse, and endangering the welfare of children. His bail is set at $500,000.
