WebProNews

Mother Unaware Son Died Until Smell Set In

Written by

in

The mother of a severely disabled 8-year-old Harrisburg, Pennsylvania boy didn’t realize he died on the third floor of their home until she began to smell his decomposing body.

Kimberly Tutko summoned police to her house on Friday, where they found the body. Tutko told authorities that her husband Jarrod Tutko was the primary caretaker of their mentally disabled son, and waited several days to tell her the boy had died.

Jarrod Tutko, 38, was charged with child endangerment, concealing the death of a child and abuse of a corpse. His bail was set at $500,000. He has yet to contact an attorney.

Harrisburg police revealed that Tutko told his wife about Jarrod Tutko Jr.’s passing “when the odor of decomposition became too strong.” The cause of death is presently unknown, and an autopsy is set for next week. The couple’s five other children were placed into protective custody.

Kimberly Tutko said her husband informed her of Jarrod Jr.’s death on Tuesday. Tutko commented, “I said to him ‘Why didn’t you say anything?’ … He said he was too afraid to say anything because of other kids in the house.”

Mrs. Tutko explained that Jarrod Jr. was severely mentally disabled and was difficult to control. He was confined to the upstairs floor of the house, where he tore up the flooring, smeared feces over the walls and refused to wear a diaper. Tutko went on to reveal that Jarrod Jr. was diagnosed with autism, failure to thrive and Fragile X Syndrome.

Here is a CDC clip concerning Fragile X Syndrome:

Tutko added that the couple also has a daughter that requires extensive care. The girl also suffers from autism and is in a vegetative state, and is confined to a hospital bed on the second floor of the home.

“My daughter relies on me,” Tutko said. “I take care of her and my husband takes care of Jarrod Jr.”

Image via Wikimedia Commons

More posts