A Utah couple is facing multiple child abuse charges after they allegedly neglected and confined a five-year-old boy.

Fox 13 reports that Clarissa Anne Tobiasson and Brett Parker Tobiasson are accused of locking their adopted son in a small, dark room for hours on end and forcing him to eat a diet of mostly carrots.

Utah Division of Child and Family Services conducted a monthslong investigation after suspecting abuse, and spoke to multiple witnesses and the victim. According to a press release obtained by Fox 13, the investigation found that the now-six-year-old boy was underfed and mistreated by his adoptive parents.

“He would be required to eat carrots before every meal and if he did not finish them with a certain time limit he would not be allowed to eat the rest of the meal,” the release says. “In another instance he was disciplined for eating samples at a local store when he knew he was supposed to eat carrots before eating anything else.”

The little boy was reportedly locked in a 10×10 room in the basement with no lights and without access to a bathroom for roughly twelve hours a day, from early evening until the next morning. The boy told investigators that he would hide his own waste in a hole in the wall so he wouldn’t get in trouble.

The couple in custody has a two-year-old adopted son and a two-month-old baby girl. The motive for the abuse is not yet known.

Both suspects have been charged with second-degree felony child abuse, and are being held on $10,000 bail.

The alleged victim is now in the care of his grandmother, and DCF has taken custody of the younger children.

Feature photo: Utah County Sheriff