Handcuffed Over Hot Dogs: Child Chained to Basement Oil Tank After Mom Says He Ate Too Much | Crime Alert 6AM 01.21.26

Summary

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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: Handcuffed Over Hot Dogs: Child Chained to Basement Oil Tank After Mom Says He Ate Too Much | Crime Alert 6AM 01.21.26
Date: January 21, 2026
Host: Nancy Grace

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Episode Overview

In this sobering episode, Nancy Grace covers three deeply disturbing cases focused on child abuse, elder neglect, and wrongful death in care facilities. The primary story examines a shocking case from Pennsylvania, where a mother handcuffed her young son to an oil tank as punishment for eating "too many hot dogs." The episode then transitions to the tragic death of an elderly nursing home resident due to hypothermia, and finally, an appalling child starvation case from Louisiana. Grace and her correspondents dissect the facts, present chilling quotes from officials and family, and challenge systemic failures that allowed these tragedies to occur.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Boy Handcuffed to Basement Oil Tank (Pennsylvania)

• Incident Summary:
  Chasaty Candelario is charged after handcuffing her 11-year-old son to a basement oil tank for nearly 17 hours as punishment for eating hot dogs.
• Pattern of Abuse:
  Prosecutors and DA Pierre Hasgr reveal this was not an isolated incident; the boy reported a history of similar treatment, not experienced by his siblings.
• Details of Punishment:
  The incident began when the mother saw the child had eaten too many hot dogs (as seen on a home camera). She berated him, then handcuffed him to the oil tank before leaving the house for the day.
• Child’s Survival and Escape:
  • The child was left without food, water, or bathroom access.
  • He managed to break free but, out of fear, re-cuffed himself to his bed, worried about further repercussions for himself or his siblings if discovered unrestrained.
• Resolution:
  Eventually, he got a phone from a sibling and called 911. The mother admitted to investigators she had restrained him. She is held in Lebanon County Prison on a $100,000 bail.
• Notable Context:
  The story exposes ongoing child abuse and highlights the boy’s desperate actions to protect himself and possibly his siblings.
• Tone:
  Urgent, unflinching, and compassionate toward victims of abuse.

Notable Quotes:

• DA Pierre Hasgr [00:36]:
  "He sustains this type of treatment and has and dates prior to this one that he has not ever witnessed his siblings having the same punishment."
• Prosecutor [01:15]:
  "He goes upstairs and he actually re cuffs himself to his bed because the concern is when mom gets home and I'm not cuffed to the oil tank anymore, what's going to happen to me? What's going to happen to my siblings?"

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2. Nursing Home Neglect Leading to Hypothermia Death (Ohio)

• Victim:
  Alvara Muti, 84, died after walking out of her nursing home through an unlocked door and being left outside overnight.
• Breakdown in Procedure:
  • The resident was last seen at 8:40pm; the nurse checked at 9:30pm and, upon noticing Muti was missing, did not report her absence, notify supervisors or police, or initiate a search.
  • Family was not called until 12:36am; code Purple (missing person) wasn’t initiated until 6:30am.
• Discovery:
  Found deceased outside at 7:30am; the medical examiner ruled death was from environmental exposure and hypothermia.
• Criminal Charges & Civil Lawsuit:
  Nurse Amber Henderson faces involuntary manslaughter, patient neglect, and tampering with records—reportedly falsifying documentation. The facility and owners are being sued for wrongful death, recklessness, and negligence.
• Systemic Issues:
  The case raises questions about staff shortages, poor security, and negligence in elder care facilities.

Notable Quotes:

• Victim's Brother [03:51]:
  "I never got a call at night. I got a call this morning. I don't know what they do there. But something's wrong."
• Nurse Amber Henderson [03:23], reporting to 911:
  "My name is Amber. I'm calling from the avenue. I have a resident who elopes and she is missing."
• Host Commentary/Tone:
  Highlights the tragedy as both a singular loss and an example of systemic elder neglect.

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3. Fatal Child Neglect and Starvation Case (Louisiana)

• Victim:
  Marley Perelu, 5, found dead—emaciated and weighing only 19 pounds.
• Circumstances:
  • Bedridden, never left the apartment; discovered on New Year's Day after parents called 911.
  • Apartment conditions were deplorable with trash, debris, and adults allegedly using drugs.
• Parent Arrests:
  Parents Marlon Perelu and Renicia Young charged with negligent homicide, cruelty to juveniles, plus drug and weapons violations. Held without bond.
• Details from Investigation:
  • Sheriff's deputies immediately attempted lifesaving measures.
  • The boy's malnourished condition was so severe that, tragically, the five-year-old's body fit in an infant body bag.
  • Three other children removed from the home.
• Ongoing Autopsy and Investigation:
  Open questions remain about when the child last ate and whether other adults were complicit or neglectful.
• Neighborhood Reaction:
  Neighbors were unaware of the neglect, highlighting how such tragedies can remain hidden behind closed doors.

Notable Quotes:

• Colonel Donald Capello [06:03]:
  "This is probably the worst case of child neglect I've seen in my 34 years of law enforcement."
• Capello describing physical state [06:12]:
  "When the coroners come out, there are body bag for adults and there's body bags for infants and this child, five years old fit in an infant body bag."
• Host Tone:
  Heavy with emotion, underscoring the urgent need for community vigilance and reporting child endangerment.

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Memorable Moments & Timestamps

• 00:00: Nancy Grace introduces the headline case—boy handcuffed to basement oil tank.
• 01:15: Chilling account of the child re-handcuffing himself out of fear for himself and siblings.
• 02:47–03:23: Detailed breakdown of nursing home procedural failures leading to Alvara Muti’s death.
• 03:51: Victim's brother expresses frustration and grief at lack of communication.
• 05:34: Shocking condition and details emerge about the starved child in Louisiana.

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Conclusion

Nancy Grace’s episode is a stark call to attention about overlooked and systemic abuse—whether behind the doors of a family home or presumed safe institutions. Through hard questions and raw reporting, the episode lays bare the failures of families, caregivers, and systems meant to protect the most vulnerable. The message is clear: continual vigilance and loud advocacy are vital for crime prevention and justice.

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For more stories and ongoing investigations, listeners are directed to crimeonline.com and encouraged to join future episodes of Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

Transcript

[A]

CRIME alert. I'm Nancy Grace. Breaking crime news now. Chazaty Candelario says she was just trying to keep her son from eating too many hot dogs when she handcuffed the 11 year old to an oil tank in the basement. After nearly 17 hours, the boy breaks free and calls 911 straight out to Drew Nelson for more.

[B]

That's right, Nancy. Prosecutors say what this 11 year old describes is not an isolated incident. Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney Pierre Hasgr says the child told investigators this type of punishment is nothing new.

[C]

He sustains this type of treatment and has and dates prior to this one that he has not ever witnessed his siblings having the same punishment.

[B]

Graf tells WGAL the incident began earlier that morning when the child was confronted over his eating habits.

[C]

She starts berating him that he ate too many hot dogs in the days prior. She saw it on the camera, said he was going to get his punishment.

[B]

Graff says the punishment escalated as the child was taken into the basement, grabbed.

[C]

The handcuffs and she actually handcuffed him to the fuel tank. Mom then leaves and goes about her day.

[B]

The child was left there alone in the basement for hours. Prosecutors say he eventually managed to get free but feared what would happen when his mother returned.

[C]

He goes upstairs and he actually re cuffs himself to his bed because the concern is when mom gets home and I'm not cuffed to the oil tank anymore, what's going to happen to me? What's going to happen to my siblings?

[B]

After nearly 17 hours without food, water or a bathroom, prosecutors say the child was able to get a phone from a sibling and call 91 1. Police responded to and the child's mother later admitted she had restrained him. Chasity Candelario is being held in Lebanon County Prison with bail set at $100,000.

[A]

Thanks Drew. More crime and justice news after this.

[B]

An Ohio nursing home resident dies from hypothermia after walking out an unlocked door overnight, later being found outside. Her family now filing suit as criminal charges move forward. WJW reports the civil lawsuit is pending in Cuyah County. Criminal charges against a nurse are also active. The case centers on what happened during a 10 hour gap when Alvara Muti was unaccounted for. She was 84 years old. A patient at the Avenue at Warrensville Care and Rehabilitation center on the evening of December 23, 2024. Muti was last seen in her room around 8:40pm she used a wheelchair and could not walk without help. A nurse checked in around 9:30pm Muti was gone. No missing person report was made. No sear was started. No supervisor or police were notified. The nurse later told police she assumes Muti had left with a family member.

[D]

Even so, you check if somebody came in to grab her?

[E]

Yeah, I checked to see if someone had came in the. I didn't. I did not see that.

[D]

Okay.

[B]

There was no visitor sign out record. The exit door near Mut's room was unlocked. It led to stairs and an outdoor patio. The door locked behind her and could not be opened from the outside. Around 12:36, the nurse says she tried calling family members. No one answered. She continued her shift. Around 6:30am the nurse told her supervisor she had not seen Muti all night. A code Purple was finally called.

[E]

My name is Amber. I'm calling from the avenue. I have a resident who elopes and she is missing.

[B]

Police responded shortly after 7:30am Muti was found outside on the patio. She was lying on her back in a corner. She was unresponsive and cold to the touch. She was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead later that morning. The Cuyahoga county medical examiner ruled the cause of death environmental exposure with hypothermia. Muti's brother arrived after learning she had been found.

[F]

I never got a call at night. I got a call this morning. I don't know what they do there.

[B]

Okay.

[F]

But something's wrong.

[B]

The nurse on duty was Amber Henderson. She was later indicted on one count of involuntary manslaughter, one count of patient neglect and one count of tampering with records. In addition to failing to report Mutie missing, prosecutors say she also falsified the required documentation. Henderson has pleaded not guilty. Her next court appearance is scheduled for January 27th. The lawsuit names Henderson and the facility's owners as defendants. It alleges wrongful death, recklessness and negligence. The filing claims the facility was understaffed and improperly secured and failed to protect a resident assessed as being at risk of elopement. The case is being handled in Cuyahogie County Common Pleas Court. A child abuse case is unfolding in Louisiana after a kindergarten age boy is found dead weighing less than a house cat, and investigators say his parents starved him to death. Marley Perelu was 5. Investigators say he was bedridden and apparently never left the apartment where he lived with his family in Guymar, Louisiana. His parents are Marlon Parillou, age 33, and Renicia Young, 27. Both are charged with negligent homicide, cruelty to juveniles, drug offenses and weapons violations. The parents are jail in Ascension Parish with no bond charges. Could still be upgraded Investigators say the case came to light on New Year's Day. Deputies were dispatched after the parents called 911 asking for help. They met law enforcement at a gas station off Highway 73. Deputies began life saving efforts immediately. Ascension Parish Sheriff's Colonel Donald Capello tells.

[D]

WAFB they started CPR on the child and within a couple minutes the child was transported to a local hospital where they continued to work on the child for about 40, 45 minutes before just passed away. They couldn't save him.

[B]

Investigators say he was severely malnourished. The child was 35 inches tall, weighed only 19 pounds. Investigators described trash throughout the apartment, mattresses on the floor and debris everywhere. Detectives believe the child died inside one of the bedrooms.

[D]

This is probably the worst case of child neglect I've seen in my 34 years of law enforcement.

[B]

Colonel Capello describes the dire physical condition of the child after death.

[D]

To put it in perspective, when the coroners come out, there are body bag for adults and there's body bags for infants and this child, five years old fit in an infant body bag.

[B]

Neighbors told WAFB they had no idea what was happening inside the apartment. Several said the family had never asked for help. Three other children living in the home were removed by the state after the arrests. An autopsy is pending. Investigators say it is still unclear when the child last ate. The district attorney says the investigation is ongoing and will include determining whether any other adults knew about the child's condition.

[A]

Thanks, Drew. For the latest crime and justice news, go to crimeonline.com and please join us for our daily podcast Crime Stories, where we do our best to find missing people, especially children, and help solve unsolved homicides with this crime alert. I'm Nancy Grace.

[C]

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