An Oklahoma police officer has done the unthinkable and adopted a young boy he met while investigating a child abuse allegation.
Officer Jody Thompson of the Poteau Police Department in Oklahoma has adopted 10-year-old John and his baby sister after he responded to a call regarding the young boy, two years prior.
In 2015, Thompson responded to a physical child abuse call, having previous experience investigating such cases for the district attorney’s office.
‘I’ve investigated child abuse cases before,’ Thompson told CBS News.
‘I thought I’d better go ahead and respond.’
Thompson was stunned to see a severely underweight eight-year-old boy with his wrists bound by belts, bruises all along his back and a huge bump on his head, having been submerged in a trash can full of cold water.
In 2015, Thompson responded to a physical child abuse call when he pulled into the Poteau Police Department in Oklahoma
He weighed a mere 61lbs.
The officer added: ‘He did not have a spot on his body that didn’t have a bruise or abrasion. It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen.’
Thompson wrapped the boy in a blanket and took him to the Oklahoma Children’s Advocacy Center so that detectives could take photos.
‘I sat with him,’ Thompson said having taken the boy to the emergency room following the visit to the Center.
‘And when he was admitted into the intensive care unit, I sat all night until the next day.’
And Thompson was immediately connected to John, knowing that the two would be in each other’s lives.
‘When I’d seen him in that house shivering and his hands tied – just soaking wet and confused – I knew at that moment the only time I would be satisfied and sure that he was safe is if he was with me,’ Thompson said.