A woman and a man have been arrested and charged with torturing and starving the woman’s 14-year-old son. The woman confessed to authorities that she had been making her son drink approximately two gallons of water daily. Stephanie Linke, aged 36, and Michael Gruchacz, aged 35, are facing two counts of aggravated child abuse dating back four months.
The couple’s actions were discovered when they brought the teenager to the hospital, claiming he had been depriving himself of food and water. However, the mother later admitted to hospital staff that she had been compelling her son to consume an excessive amount of water. At the time of admission, the boy was 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed about 92 pounds. Authorities in Cowboy State reported that he has gained 11 pounds since his hospitalization.
Linke explained her son’s low weight by attributing it to behavioral issues, stating that he refused to eat because he was not allowed to consume junk food or soda. Nevertheless, medical staff observed signs of alleged physical abuse, such as an untreated wound behind one of his ears and bruises and scrapes on various parts of his body.
The boy’s intake of water had led to hyponatremia, a condition where the body’s salt levels become dangerously low due to excessive liquid consumption. Medical experts at the hospital revealed that the child would likely have experienced total organ failure and died if he had not received prompt medical attention.
During interviews with investigators, the boy disclosed that Linke yelled at him, physically assaulted him, and dragged him on the floor. Gruchacz was also accused of striking him in the neck and shoulder with a “karate chop” at one point. Official documents state that the couple inflicted substantial mental and emotional harm on the child through torture and cruel confinement, resulting in serious bodily injuries.
Evidence included home surveillance footage showing Gruchacz pacing in front of the teenager before taking him to the hospital and making statements like, “We will report everything you have done since that is the only way we can protect your mom.” In a disturbing conversation on October 13, five days before the boy was hospitalized, the couple allegedly discussed hitting him in the throat.
Linke remarked that “He is eating now,” to which Gruchacz replied, “Punch him in the throat.” The affidavit also referenced additional footage where Gruchacz suggested a gruesome act in front of the boy’s mother. The boy’s siblings revealed in separate interviews with law enforcement that their brother lived in the basement and was usually only permitted to eat leftovers, ramen, and peanut butter unless he met certain conditions to join the family for a meal.
While Gruchacz has been released from the Laramie County Jail on bond, Linke remains in custody on a $50,000 bond.
