A 15-year-old boy from Arizona has gone missing after his mother and stepfather confined him for several hours each night inside a cramped, padlocked room within an RV, according to authorities. The pair also forced him to urinate into plastic bottles and left him in total darkness.
Deputies with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department responded to the home of Danielle Lee-Sharp, 39, and her husband, Michael Menzie, 43, on Tuesday,the same day Ryker Lee was reported as a runaway. Upon arrival, they discovered living conditions deemed “not suitable” for children, as detailed in an interim complaint.
Lee-Sharp and Menzie shared the home with three children, including the 15-year-old, along with two others aged 6 and 10. Both adults now face three counts of child abuse each.
Deputies arrived at the residence after Ryker was reported missing. Menzie and Lee-Sharp informed them that the teenager slept in an RV located outside the main house. The couple consented to a search of the vehicle.
Inside, deputies found the RV divided in half by a wooden door without a doorknob. Screws on the side of the door prevented it from being opened from the other side, the complaint states.
“Ryker Lee had been confined inside a small, padlocked room within a recreational vehicle that lacked running water, restroom facilities, and air conditioning,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department states in a press release.
The area where Ryker slept measured approximately 6 feet by 5 feet and contained two windows, according to the complaint.
“[Lee-Sharp] stated that the swamp cooler for the RV broke,” the complaint explains. “No fan or swamp cooler or running water was located inside the room. There is no access to a restroom and multiple plastic bottles were located with possible urine inside which Danielle did confirm that [Ryker] does urinate in them. Spiders and spider webs were also observed near the box-spring where [Ryker] sleeps.”
Menzie told police that he and Lee-Sharp routinely locked Ryker inside the RV every night for “multiple hours.” Lee-Sharp informed investigators that the key to the makeshift confinement area remained inside the house on her dresser, per the complaint. The RV had no electricity, according to police.
Lee-Sharp also told investigators that Menzie did not sleep in the RV but occasionally fell asleep while Ryker occupied the other half of the vehicle.
The complaint notes that Ryker has Type 1 diabetes and states that leaving him alone for hours without supervision under those conditions likely endangered his health.
Inside the main residence, police encountered a strong odor of cat urine. The flooring bore stains from cat urine and vomit, while garbage and miscellaneous items littered the floors, obstructing movement throughout the home.
The children’s bedroom reportedly contained clothing, garbage, and other items blocking the entrance. “The children had plastic mattresses with no bedding,” the complaint says. “Their closest bathroom had no sink and the toilet was turning black and brown from not being cleaned.”
In the master bedroom, police found cat feces stains throughout the floor. A mattress rested directly on the bathroom floor, appearing to hold children’s bedding and reportedly stained yellow from its position next to a cat litter box.
Police discovered a rifle “laid out in the closet” that was “not properly secured and was accessible with ease,” the complaint adds.
The kitchen was littered with garbage and full trash bags. Police found a hole in the middle of the kitchen floor caused by a leaking pipe, with the floor beginning to sink, according to the complaint.
The refrigerator contained food that was no longer edible and had begun to mold. Ants and spiders appeared throughout the residence, according to the complaint.
The two younger children living at the residence were taken into Department of Child Services custody. Police have stated that the family has a history with child welfare authorities spanning several years.
Ryker was last seen on Sept. 22 near State Route 86 and State Route 286 in Three Points, also known as Robles Junction, around 10 a.m., according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
Police said he left home on foot.
“You know, we get runaways all the time, and you don’t see this kind of response from us typically,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told local ABC affiliate KGUN. “But when there’s a concern of life or death, his medical condition, then we’re going to step up our game.”
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