A DISABLED SON ABANDONED IN A BATHTUB FOR SEVEN WEEKS WHILE HIS CAREGIVER WATCHED.
Mesa Police Department detectives responded to an Arizona residence following a harrowing 911 call regarding 31-year-old Hunter Shimkus. Hunter suffers from a progressive nerve disease that completely robs him of the ability to walk and strictly limits his hand function.
According to the police affidavit, officers entered the home's bathroom to find a scene of utter horror. Responding personnel immediately documented a pungent odor and located Hunter in a state of extreme emaciation.
Medical examinations documented that the victim's muscle tissue was entirely gone, leaving only skin and bone. Investigators noted oozing sores across his body and observed that one of his legs was violently bent 90 degrees in the wrong direction.
Investigators say the victim’s father, 52-year-old Melvin Shimkus, was legally serving as his son's primary caretaker over the past year. During police interrogations, Melvin allegedly claimed he placed his son in the tub only a week prior and noticed the severely dislocated leg that same day.
However, internal court documents paint a far more damning timeline. A family member living inside the home admitted to detectives that Hunter had actually been trapped in that bathtub since May 16th—amounting to seven weeks of continuous confinement.
Detectives noted that family members claim they repeatedly urged the victim to seek emergency medical care, but he refused. According to statements from the victim's aunt, paramedics had previously been called to the home but left without rendering aid because Hunter verbally declined assistance.
Under current legal protocols, emergency personnel reportedly stated they could not force treatment on a legal adult. Prosecutors have since charged Melvin Shimkus with severe vulnerable adult abuse, and he is currently being held on a $12,000 bond.
Boy, 17, murdered his mother and tried to kill his screaming father during argument about discipline at comfortable Alabama home, prosecutors say https://t.co/rXjIm2VONl
Elizabeth Siders, mother of 16 children removed from Ohio, faces charges along with her husband and in-laws amid harsh conditions, with her brother speaking out and legal disputes ongoing. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy @angenette5 reports.
Mom covered 9-month-old's head with blanket, held it down as baby was 'crying bloody murder' and killed her nearly 4 years to the day after ex suffocated their 10-month-old: Cops https://t.co/PCXiEwJZ89
#Congrats for all your hard work in bringing awareness and an end to #BehaviorCamps. Not even juvenile detention centers are able to treat people inhumanly as these unregulated prisons camps. #GreatJob
I’ve been waiting years to write this. The place that hurt me, and countless children before and after me, will no longer be allowed to operate. The children inside are going to be removed 🥹The dream I’ve had to protect future generations from the abuse I endured is finally happening💔 #ShutDownPCS #Survivor
CASE UPDATE from @FBIPittsburgh: Former College Basketball Player Charged with Defrauding Victims of $2.2 Million
Kerr Kriisa, 25, was arrested this week on five counts of wire fraud. Kriisa played basketball for the University of Arizona, West Virginia University, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Cincinnati.
According to court documents, from 2022 through June 2, 2026, Kriisa allegedly carried out a scheme to obtain nearly $2.2 million from multiple victims using false representations, fabricated identities, and deceptive communications. The indictment alleges that Kriisa posed as various individuals — including fictional contacts and family members — and falsely claimed he and his family were in danger, that his mother needed cancer treatment, or that family property required urgent financial support.
Read more about the #FBI investigation: https://t.co/Yd96d6L4Hu
"I have not yet begun to fight."
On this day in 1747, John Paul Jones was born. His legendary victory during the American Revolution made him one of America's first naval heroes and earned him recognition as the father of the @USNavy. 🇺🇸
The Princess of Wales has met young patients at a children’s hospital in London.
The Princess visited the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, of which she is a patron, to learn more about their vision to become the capital’s most comprehensive child health facility ⬇️
https://t.co/IdqQjvEmx5
An Idaho mother who claimed vaccines contributed to the deaths of her 18-year-old twins has been charged with their murder, according to authorities. https://t.co/iGNRLbpsvb
The rhinestones were never the whole story. 💎
Told in my own words and through the songs that shaped my life, DOLLY: A True Original Musical arrives in New York City this December. Fan and Capital One pre-sales begin tomorrow. Sign up here: https://t.co/tt6fJvOwVc