A couple from Arkansas has been imprisoned after allegedly keeping their 7-year-old son confined in a closet and severely underfeeding him for several years, as reported by authorities.

Chris Freeman, aged 39, and Katelyn Freeman, aged 27, face charges including one count of first-degree battery and child endangerment, per the Pope County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities described the couple’s home on Sandstone Circle in Russellville—a small town near Lake Dardanelle and close to Ozark National Forest—as “unsuitable for children.”

Inside, one of the closets had been outfitted into a cell of sorts, police say. In that closet, the boy was allegedly doubly trapped: locked up and confined – often tied with ropes – for long periods of time.

When he was recovered, the couple’s son was described as “pale, limp and extremely underweight at just 28 pounds,” according to a press release issued by the Russellville Police Department.

Police responded to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital after the victim was transferred from the Dardanelle Regional Medical Center on Tuesday morning. At the second hospital, doctors allegedly told investigators the victim, admitted in critical condition, had become a “near fatality” due to years of “severe, prolonged malnutrition.”

As the investigation continued, officers noted the closet showed signs of extended use – such as worn-down walls and hardware, according to police. There was also allegedly human waste – urine and feces – on the floor of the “makeshift” human enclosure, police claim.

Meanwhile, at least some parts of the rest of the house told a different story altogether – one where privation was nonexistent.

Police said they discovered “plenty of food and several thousand dollars in cash” while searching the “cluttered” Freeman residence, according to a press release issued by the police department.

During their interrogations, the couple allegedly admitted to keeping their son locked in the closet. The defendants also said they refused to obtain medical treatment for the child out “fear of repercussions and embarrassment,” according to police.

And, law enforcement officials say, another child was victimized, too.

“Reports from other juveniles in the home described the use of ropes to restrain not only the 7-year-old but also a 5-year-old sibling as punishment,” the press release reads.

As of this writing, the defendants have only been charged in relation to the abuse allegedly suffered by the older boy. Officials say the investigation is ongoing and additional charges could be filed.

Russellville Police Chief David Ewing described the case as “horrific and disturbing” in a statement.

A spokesperson for the police department told Little Rock-based NBC affiliate KARK the child suffered “physical and mental torture.”

The boy remains in critical condition in the hospital; his two siblings are currently in the custody of state child welfare authorities.

The defendants are currently being detained in the Pope County Detention Center. Records do not show a bond amount.