IN - Parents starved and zip-tied their son and forced his siblings to beat him - Muncie, February 2025

[Clearsky]

Indiana parents arrested for horrific alleged abuse of son, 10, and forcing his siblings to beat him

Muncie parents Melody, 38, and Adam Greenwood, 36, “nutritionally” neglected the boy, feeding him only canned vegetables as his seven siblings noshed on fast food and sweets.

nypost.com

Muncie parents Melody, 38, and Adam Greenwood, 36, accused of child neglect, also “nutritionally” neglected the young boy, feeding him only canned vegetables as his seven siblings noshed on fast food and sweets, according to the Star Press.

 

[LadyL]

why do these nasty people often seem to single out one child and force the others to abuse the child?

 

[tlcya]

Forced to stand in place for up to 12 hours as his punishment, the boy also told cops his siblings were directed to “beat him up” if he ever spoke or stepped away from the wall.
Indiana parents arrested for horrific alleged abuse of son, 10, and forcing his siblings to beat him

Two of the older siblings were allegedly the primary source of education for the other six children in the home. According to the court documents, they would homeschool their siblings solely by reading three chapters of a book per day while Melody and Adam Greenwood were at work.
https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/court-docs-muncie-parents-zip-tied-withheld-food-from-child/

The documents also stated that the boy was allegedly disallowed from watching TV or playing video games. In order to prevent him from participating, a towel was reportedly placed over his head.
Parents zip-tied 10-year-old and denied him food: Police

why? I mean, sounds like these parents aren't doing much parenting to any of their children and they sound at the very least educationally neglectful, but why was this little boy scapegoated specifically for physical and emotional abuse?

 

[Mamakhat]

As a parent of three (nothing compared to the many they had), reading this made me sad and started to think of what type of mental disturbance the mother and/or father must have had in thinking that these acts were any kind of helpful form of "punishment". That type of correction, if you will, will only get the children to be scared to do or say anything and will not allow them to grow/form appropriate adult behaviors later in life. I'm also wondering why it was only him (I could be wrong on that).

 

[lonetraveler]

I cringe every time I see a case like this one. I really wish that there was a system where 'home schooled' children are checked on to see how they are doing. Too many opportunities for neglect and abuse.