Overview

• Neighbors reported finding the child wandering in traffic, and officers noted he was malnourished with visible scars and burn injuries.
• Police say the boy told neighbors he ran away because of abuse, prompting officers to take him for medical treatment.
• Both parents admitted to the abuse during interviews, according to police, with the father acknowledging using a lighter on the child's feet and the mother admitting participation.
• The Cleveland County district attorney’s office assumed the case and upgraded the allegations to child abuse and neglect.
• The parents, identified as Dilon Moore and Cathy Ngo, were booked into the Cleveland County Detention Center, and the child was released from the hospital into DHS foster care.