The adult stepbrother of a child who was found starving in Georgia was arrested and charged with assault for his strangling, prosecutors said.

Tyler and Krista Schindley were arrested in May and charged with attempted murder, false imprisonment, and cruelty to children after their 10-year-old son escaped from their home in the city of Griffin.

Their child, who has not been named, was ‘very small, very thin, and his skin was discolored’ when police discovered him begging for food in the suburban neighborhood.

He was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for malnutrition, a low heartbeat, and a dental injury.

‘This case is disturbing. It’s heartbreaking,’ District Attorney Marie Broder said after announcing the charges. ‘I have tried many child abuse cases in my career, and this child was, simply put, being starved to death. And it is tragic.’

She continued: ‘I have a nine-year-old, and she currently weighs 76 pounds. This 10-year-old boy weighed 36.’

On Thursday, prosecutors charged the boy’s 20-year-old stepbrother for his role in the shocking abuse.

Ethan Washburn, the biological son of Krista and stepson of Tyler, was arrested last week. He was charged with one count of aggravated assault and one count of assault and strangulation, according to court records.

Police have released few details about Washburn’s role in the abuse, but arrest warrants obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution accuse him of using both hands to choke his sibling sometime between June 2020 and February 2023.

Washburn is a resident of Tennessee, and it is unclear when the strangulation took place.

Before he was charged, Washburn briefly spoke to reporters at local station Fox 5 who knocked on Tyler and Krista’s door in Griffin. At that time, he denied he had any connection to the case.

‘I’m not too close to the situation right now,’ Washburn said. ‘I’m just actually watching the house. I don’t really have any comment at this time on this story.’

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