You’re reading about a harrowing case of child abuse that authorities say nearly ended a young boy’s life. A 4-year-old Missouri child was admitted to a hospital in June 2025 weighing just 23 pounds. Doctors determined he was days from fatal organ failure, leading to the arrest of both parents.
You learn that hospital staff at Golden Valley Memorial Hospital immediately contacted law enforcement after seeing the boy’s frail appearance and visible injuries. Medical records showed he had gained less than a pound in two-and-a-half years. For his age, his recommended weight should have been around 44 pounds.
Police responded and documented that the boy had bruises around both temples and a scratch below his left eye. The officer noted he was “very thin” and unable to speak. Photos of the injuries, along with a detailed growth chart, were provided to back up the seriousness of the child’s condition.
When questioned, Patricia L. Siercks told officers her son was just a picky eater. She claimed she spent $400 on food but that he refused to eat most of it. She dismissed any nutritional deficiencies, despite clear signs of severe malnourishment reported by the medical team.
Siercks admitted to police that two weeks earlier, she became “frustrated, angry” during a tantrum and “slapped and punched [him] in the face.” According to the affidavit, she first struck the left side of his face with her hand, then turned it into a fist and punched him again. Bruising on the opposite side, she claimed, came from a fall over a toy.
Back in November 2024, you learn that Siercks was instructed to supplement her son’s diet with PediaSure. During four months of using it, he gained 6.8 pounds. Once she stopped giving it to him because “it was all [he] wanted to have,” he lost 5.7 pounds in just three months, reversing nearly all his progress.
On June 30, staff at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City alerted police again. The child was admitted due to dangerously low weight and an abnormal heart rhythm linked to malnutrition. His diagnosis included Refeeding Syndrome, a potentially fatal condition caused by reintroducing food too quickly to someone severely undernourished.
Medical professionals declared that the child was “within days of fatal organ failure.” They diagnosed him with long-term starvation, stunted growth, dehydration-related imbalanced electrolytes, and “acute childhood torture.” These findings were reported by NBC affiliate KSHB and included in police records.
Siercks was arrested on July 1, and Joshua J. Gusman was detained the following day. Initially, Gusman denied abuse, according to police. But after further questioning, he revealed deeply disturbing claims that added more gravity to the already horrifying case.
According to CBS affiliate KCTV, Gusman confessed he witnessed the boy “placed into a dog crate while the family ate dinner” and that he was denied food. Gusman stated the abuse had gone on for two years and admitted to seeing Siercks “assaulting” the child on several occasions.
Gusman told authorities that he had heard violent outbursts from another room and would enter to stop Siercks from harming their son. Despite these actions, he remained silent for years until the child was hospitalized and the evidence became too severe to ignore.
Siercks now faces two counts of child abuse and could receive up to 22 years in prison if convicted. Gusman has been charged with abuse of a child causing serious injury and child endangerment. His potential sentence could extend to 25 years. Both remain jailed in Henry County without bond.
If you witness or suspect child abuse, you’re urged to take immediate action. Call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or visit www.childhelp.org. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911 without hesitation.
