Who are Armin and Susan Rodriguez? Grandparents arrested for brutally TORTURING stepgrandson
HAMILTON, OHIO: Armin, 70, and Susan Rodriguez, 67, two Ohio grandparents, were booked into the Hamilton County jail on Monday, May 30, on charges of child endangerment and complicity. As per court records, the couple "recklessly tortured or cruelly abused" the juvenile victim, who is their stepgrandson.
Armin and Susan are parents of Amy Rodriguez Dangel, who was indicted in February for 11 counts of endangering children. Amy's husband, Anthony Dangel, was also indicted for one count of endangering children. The grandparents stand accused of one count each of child endangerment causing physical harm and complicity with child endangerment, according to jail records.
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The victim in the case is the step-grandchild of Armin and Susan. Prosecutors confirm Armin and Susan are the parents of Amy Rodriguez Dangel, who was indicted in February for 11 counts of endangering children. @FOX19
— Jessica Schmidt (@JSchmidtTV) May 26, 2022
"It's heartbreaking to think that anyone would be abused and much less be abused by somebody that's trusted and loved. It was heartbreaking to investigate, and I'm happy that we're able to have some kind of conclusion with this indictment," Delhi Police Lt. Joe Macaluso told Fox 19. As per reports, Armin and Susan not only knew of Amy's abuse but were also responsible for acts of abuse themselves.
The couple has been accused of making the boy stand in a spare room for hours on end without allowing him to use the bathroom, beating him with a belt, and withholding food from him while monitoring him with cameras. "If there's a victim of this type of abuse, it's tragic. And when you have somebody that's vulnerable, like a child or the elderly, it makes you sick," Macaluso told Fox News Digital.
Amy’s husband, Anthony Dangel, a local fire department LT., was also indicted for one count of endangering children. Prosecutors say it's believed that Armin and Susan not only knew of Amy’s alleged abuse, but they are responsible for acts of abuse in their own home. @FOX19
— Jessica Schmidt (@JSchmidtTV) May 26, 2022
"He was not allowed to urinate unless he was given permission by mom prior or by grandmother. And he was not allowed to eat the same things everyone else would eat," he added. "When the authorities in that jurisdiction did a forensic interview with the child, he related the same type of treatment was occurring by his step-grandparents in my jurisdiction. He would go over to his step-grandparents' house, their daughter would say that he's in trouble, and he's to be in timeout or he's grounded," Macaluso detailed.
As per court documents, Armin and Susan "aided or abetted Amy Rodriguez Dangel to commit the offense of endangering children." Fox 19 reports that the victim currently walks with a limp, suffers from intense pain, and has emotional trauma. Macaluso added that the extent of the abuse made the case "hard to look into."
Prosecutors say Armin and Susan Rodriguez knew their daughter was abusing her 13-year-old step-son, did nothing to step it and also abused him. https://t.co/JkyordwER4
— WLBT 3 On Your Side (@WLBT) May 31, 2022
"The torture perpetrated on this young child is unimaginable. He is safe now and with family members who love him. I hope, in time, he will heal from the horrible things that have been done to him. We will do everything in our power to ensure no child suffers at the hands of the Rodriguez family again," said Hamilton County Prosecutor, Joe Deters in a statement.
Deters had previously released a statement about Amy and Anthony's acts of abuse against the child, "This is disgusting and senseless. This is not a parent who lost control and made a mistake, but a woman who purposefully tortured a child for years. To do this to a child is beyond comprehension. There are some people who should simply never be parents. These two should never be permitted around children again, and we will do everything in our power to make sure that is the case."