Marisa Kwiatkowski

Update: Police say grandparents collected $720/month in government aid while teen wasted away

Police said an Anderson couple collected $720 a month from the government while their 15-year-old granddaughter wasted away. The teen weighed less than 40 pounds when she arrived at the hospital Monday night, while nurses had to keep her breathing.

The Madison County Prosecutor said government assistance could be a motive in this case of alleged neglect. Prosecutor Rodney Cummings said he's never seen anything like it during his 35-year career in law enforcement.

"It's a motive for even having the child in their house to begin with, to get the money, have her there but not use the money to care for her, use the money for their own interests," Cummings said.

The teen is still at Peyton Manning Children's Hospital fighting for her life. Detectives visited the hospital Wednesday to check on her condition and interview medical staff.

The 15-year-old was living with her grandparents — Joetta and Steve Sells — in the 3400 block of Forest Terrace. Police believe the girl was being kept in a locked room with a mattress, space heater, bucket and oatmeal. During a search of the room, they found blood and feces on the floor.

Investigators have questions about the government assistance that was supposed to help cover any expenses related to taking care of the girl.

"The money was there for that purpose and where did that money go," said Detective Joel Sandefur, with the Anderson Police Department.

An unrelated 4-year-old child was living with the Sells. According to police the child is now is DCS custody. During a police interview, the child demonstrated how a lock was put on the door and explained how the victim would put her fingers around the door trying to get out. The child also described to police how Steve Sells would pick up the teen by the hair and drag her.

Police said Joetta Sells admitted her husband would lock the 15-year-old girl in her room. When police questioned Steve Sells he said he did it to protect himself because the teen was very strong. The affidavit for probable cause points out Steve Sells weighs between 200 and 225 pounds.

Investigators are trying to paint a timeline of the alleged neglect by looking at the victim's medical and education records. The girl stopped attending Anderson Community Schools in October 2010. During a police interview Steve Sells said his granddaughter had not been to the doctor since January of 2012 because her Medicaid ran out.

According to the prosecutor, a juvenile court case involving the Sellses was filed in 2010 but the case was dismissed by DCS a month later.

"It's puzzling and I think we need to have some answers about that," Cummings said.

Steve Sells and his wife, Joetta, were granted custody of his granddaughter in 2009. Records show he appeared in court in on Nov. 6 in an attempt to get child support for the teen. Police said the biological mother and father are not involved in the girl's life.

Steve Sells has worked as a bus driver for the City of Anderson since 2008. A spokesperson said the city is working with law enforcement.

Tuesday, Dec. 2:

An Anderson couple are accused of keeping their severely malnourished 15-year-old granddaughter locked in a room with little more than a mattress, a space heater, a bucket and a bowl of oatmeal, police records show.

The teenager, who has a developmental disability, weighed less than 40 pounds Monday when she was transported to a hospital for treatment, according to records from the Anderson Police Department.

Anderson Police Detective Joel Sandefur said an unnamed family member called 911 on Monday to report the girl's condition.

The girl's grandfather, Steve Sells, was arrested. Sells, 58, is being held on preliminary charges of child neglect.

Police said Sells' wife, 54-year-old Joetta, would be arrested Tuesday after questioning. She will face preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent and battery.

The Sellses have had custody of the teen since 2009, Madison Circuit Court records show. They also were legal guardians of a 4-year-old, who was removed from the home Monday by the Indiana Department of Child Services.

DCS spokesman James Wide would not say whether the agency had prior contact with the couple or the children in their custody.

The 15-year-old was transported by ambulance to the hospital. Bones protruded from the teen's body, and her feet were smeared with feces, police records state.

When Anderson police visited the home in the 3400 block of Forest Terrace, they found feces covering everything in the girl's room. There also was blood on the floor, police records state.

Other family members told police that Steve Sells kept his granddaughter locked in the room all day and night. One person said he also picked the girl up by her hair and dragged her.

The 4-year-old told police she saw the 15-year-old stick her fingers around the door to try to escape.

Sandefur said police are looking into why the 15-year-old was not attending school. It was not clear when she last attended.

"I'm completely floored and blown away by it… baffled, mind-boggling," neighbor Thomas McAllister said about the allegations of severe neglect.

McAllister told Fox59 he never would have thought something like that was happening inside the Sells home.

"That is just disgusting, and no child should have to go through anything like that," he said.

Steve Sells initially told police the girl had fallen twice in the past few days, which he claimed had worsened her condition.

He later claimed he locked the girl in her room to protect himself. Sells, who weighs at least 200 pounds, said his granddaughter was "very strong." He said he had to squeeze her arm when she approached him with a knife.

Sells said he hadn't taken his granddaughter for a medical exam since January 2012. He said her Medicaid coverage, which he used to get the nutritional supplement Boost she was fed, ended a year ago.

A spokeswoman for the Madison County prosecutor's office said the agency expects to file formal charges this week.

Fox59 contributed to this story.

Call Star reporter Marisa Kwiatkowski at (317) 444-6135. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyMarisaK.