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An Oklahoma couple who allegedly starved their children and locked them inside closets are accused of murdering their 11-year-old son, who has been missing for years, KOTV reports.
This week, prosecutors charged John Miles and Camille Lewis with second-degree murder in connection with the presumed death of Orlando Hugger Jr., 11. Lewis is the boy’s mother and Miles is his stepfather.
In February, Miles and Lewis were charged with child abuse and child neglect for allegedly starving and beating their children. Miles also has been charged with sexual abuse of Lewis’ 13-year-old daughter.
The children’s grandmother notified authorities in late January that Hugger had been missing for multiple years and might be dead.
She also alleged that Lewis told her the boy had died.
According to police, Lewis said in August 2021 that Miles and one of his cousins buried the boy in a park, subsequently dug it up, burned the remains in a barrel, and disposed of the ashes down a storm drain.
The grandmother further reported to police that Miles had long sexually abused her granddaughter, whom she described as “skin and bones,” according to KKTV.
The 13-year-old girl told police that Miles and Lewis would beat her and her brother and lock them up in closets for days. Sometimes they were not given any food and were regularly struck with objects like cords and belts.
“The girl said at times she had to urinate/defecate in a bag/cup in the closet,” authorities alleged, according to WKRC-TV. “She said sometimes she and her brother would be forced to sleep in an igloo-style doghouse in the backyard and exercise outdoors in very cold weather.”
Hugger’s father, Orlando, said Lewis stopped allowing him to see his son in 2019. He allegedly reported the boy missing in January but said nothing happened in response.
“I feel like I could have done more me personally, I also feel like others could have done more as well,” Hugger Sr. told KOKI-TV.
“To be honest, it pisses me off. Because somebody did it to him, and as a father, I want to protect my kids. This is the biggest let down. He needed me the most to protect him, and I wasn’t able to.”
A court hearing is scheduled for June 13.
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[Feature Photo: Orlando Hugger/Facebook]
