A 10-year-old boy collapsed and died in front of his twin brother after his parents refused to let him drink water for five day, it is claimed.
Jonathan James died from dehydration in Dallas after his father and step mother allegedly denied him water as punishment after he took some guitar strings from one of his siblings.
Michael Ray James and Tina Maria Alberson have been arrested and charged with injury to a child.
© Fox DFWPunished: Jonathan James died from dehydration after his father and step mother allegedly denied him water.
The boy's grandmother said that his twin brother had wanted to help, but was afraid he would be punished too.
'I did tell him, "I don't want you to feel guilty because there's nothing you could do." And he says, "I wish I had snuck him some water",' Sue Shotwell told Fox Dallas-Fort Worth.
She said she is now concerned for the twin, who is called Joseph, because he watched his brother collapse and has been having nightmares reliving the moment he died.
The boys had been spending the summer with their biological father because of a custody arrangement.
Mrs Shotwell said they had been reluctant to go.
© Fox DFWArrested: The boy's father and step-mother Michael Ray James and Tina Maria Alberson have been charged with injury to a child.
© Fox DFWSpeaking out: The boy's grandmother Sue Shotwell said that his twin brother had wanted to help, but was afraid he would be punished too.
Jonathan James died on July 25 and was found by paramedics in a bath tub.
Family members told police that he had been trying to cool him off and that he had been feeling sick for a number of days.
But a medical examiner found that he had died from dehydration.
If convicted, James and Alberson could face up to 99 years in prison.
hey!! if jesus can do 40 days, what is the problem????
in texass you gonna learn to mind
now cps has all the more justification to be even more intrusive