ORLANDO, Fla. – A disturbing and severe case of child abuse has left an Orlando neighborhood stunned.
Jamila Balzourt-Silenzio, 32, and her husband, Alex Rivera, 35, made their first appearance in court on Saturday after being arrested for allegedly torturing, maliciously punishing and caging Balzort-Silenzio's son, according to sheriff's deputies.
Deputies said the boy's uncle reported the abuse to deputies last week, saying he found his nephew tied up in the master bedroom closet, with shoestrings and towels binding his arms so that he could not leave.
The uncle also witnessed his nephew being whipped with a telephone charger cord, according to the report.
Ray McKinnon lives across the street, and said there are no words to describe the sorrow she feels for the little boy.
"I didn't even know it was going on," said McKinnon. "If I had known it was going on, I would have wanted to help."
According to the report, the boy did have a sibling; Alex Rivera's son, but there is no mention of abuse to that sibling in the report.