A father, stepmother and stepbrother were arrested this morning on kidnapping warrants after allegedly beating and burning a 20-year-old special needs man. Pottawattamie County Attorney, Matt Wilbur, says the man was found in March and told them he had been physically assaulted by his father, and that both parents threatened to kill him.
“Our victim in this case managed to get away from the location where he was being held and was kind of found wandering around in the snow without any shoes on. He was taken to Joshua House, which is a homeless shelter,” according to Wilbur. The County Attorney says the man told them his 55-year-old mother, Rebecca Beyer, burned him with spoons and forks she heated on the stove.
He says there is evidence to support those claims. “He’s got scars in his arms, inner thighs, legs, groin area, that we believe are consistent with burns,” Wilbur says.
The man told investigators he was chained up in the garage while family members were gone. Rebecca Beyer was arrested on suspicion of first-degree kidnapping and willful injury causing serious injury. The father 51-year-old James W. Beyer and his stepson, 22-year-old Ryan M. Smith were both arrested on suspicion of first-degree kidnapping.
“We had to show kidnapping that actually resulted in serious injury and or torture,” Wilbur says. “Our victim has some pretty good scaring on him from some alleged burns.” The three are being held in the Pottawattamie County jail on $100,000 bail for each.
By Karla James