A Texas teacher and two assistants locked a special needs boy in an isolation room until he ate his own faeces (Picture: Liberty County Sheriff’s Office)

A Texas teacher and her two assistants allegedly locked a five-year-old boy in a room for so long he was forced to eat his own faeces.

Melody LaPointe, 47, Tarah Tinney, 33, and Augusta Costlow, 27, were arrested earlier this month and charged with abandoning or endangering a child over the shocking incident, which took place in April 2021.

The trio are accused of leaving the boy alone in an isolation room for hours, and starving him to the point he started eating his own faeces and drinking his urine.

While confined to the room the little boy, who has learning disabilities, also reportedly fell and injured himself – but the staff did nothing to help him.

The incident took place at an unnamed school under the jurisdiction of the Liberty Independent School District, which later said they informed law enforcement and child protection services as soon as it was aware of what happened.

According to a spokesperson for the district the two assistants, Tinney and Costlow, were put on administrative leave after an internal investigation took place last year.

They later resigned once the probe was completed. 

LaPointe, the main teacher in the classroom, also resigned following the outcome of the investigation, but was able to find work as a primary school teacher at another nearby school district.

Melody Michel Lapointe, Tarah Tinney, and Augusta Costlow were arrested and charged with four counts of abandoning or endangering a child (Picture: Liberty County Sheriff’s Office)

Following her dismissal, Ms Lapointe later found work at a nearby primary school but was later arrested in full view of her students (Picture: ABC13)

She was eventually arrested at school on November 17, in full view of her students and coworkers.

Following her arrest, parents of students at Bonnie Hopper Primary where she was working at the time received an email which said: ‘In an effort of full transparency, we want to inform our families of an incident that occurred yesterday during dismissal.

‘A teacher at Bonnie P. Hopper Primary School was arrested yesterday by Liberty County constables.

‘The cause for arrest occurred in Liberty County and is not affiliated with Goose Creek CISD in any way. 

‘The teacher is currently placed on administrative leave with pay, pending the outcome of an investigation, after which the District will take appropriate disciplinary action.’

However, some parents were left disturbed such an individual was able to be hired in the first place whilst under investigation.

‘I am scared to send my daughter to school,’ Amanda Henry, who has a 6-year-old daughter at Hopper Primary told ABC13.

‘You are supposed to send them there to be protected, and they hire this lady who they apparently did not do an extensive background check on and hurt a child, left this child locked up in a room, having to eat his own faeces and drink his own urine.

‘It’s disturbing.’

All three women have been booked into the Liberty County Jail. Their bonds have each been set at $60,000. A trial date has not yet been set.

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The trio were arrested and charged with four counts of abandoning or endangering a child.