Pahrump boy found tied up, blindfolded on front porch; 4 arrested

PAHRUMP — Four Pahrump residents are facing child abuse-related charges after authorities said they found a boy tied up and blindfolded and exposed to triple-degree heat.

According to a Nye County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Deputy Kaleb O’Rourke and Deputy Elias Armendariz responded to a residence just after noon on Tuesday.

Dispatch informed the deputies that an individual had stopped at the same address to ask the property owners why they did not have shade for their horses, according to O’Rourke, who further stated that when the individual walked up to the door of the home, the individual found a young child sitting on the front porch with his hands tied behind his back and his legs tied together. The child also had a mask completely covering his face, the report said.

The deputies found the child on the front porch and confirmed that his hands were tied behind his back while wearing mittens. The boy’s legs also were tied together with a cloth, according to the report.

Triple-digit temperatures

The child “also had three masks completely covering his face,” O’Rourke’s report stated. The deputy noticed that the child was crying and was warm to the touch, and “his skin was flushed and dry.”

“At the time of my arrival, it was approximately 104 degrees outside,” the deputy wrote.

Armendariz removed the restraints from the child and observed that his legs and arms were red and white while the rest of his body was white. O’Rourke also observed that the child had ligature marks that dug into his skin on his wrists and legs.

The child was eventually taken to Desert View Hospital, the report stated.

After ensuring the child’s safety, O’Rourke knocked on the door of the residence and made contact with the mother, identified as Jodi Tracy.

“I asked Jodi why (the child) was tied up outside and Jodi stated it was because (he) peed in the bed on purpose and she had bound his arms and legs and placed him outside as a lesson,” according to the report. “I asked Jodi how long (the child) had been placed outside and Jodi stated approximately 10 to 15 minutes. I placed Jodi under arrest at this time and placed her in the back of my patrol vehicle.”

While placing Tracy under arrest, her two daughters, identified by deputies as Mellysa Byington and Courtney Flores-Tracy, walked to the house and asked why the deputies were placing their mother into custody.

Didn’t think it was abuse

“When I stated it was for child abuse both Mellysa and Courtney stated that they did not think it was child abuse and they knew that (the child) was tied up on the front porch because they claimed he was dangerous,” the report stated.

Flores-Tracy was interviewed and said she saw the child outside when she came home around 11 a.m. and knew that the child was tied up on the porch but did not say anything to anyone, O’Rourke’s report stated.

“Courtney further stated that she would not do this to her own kids and in fact, does not let them come outside to play because it is too hot.”

Additionally, the deputies made contact with a man inside the home whom O’Rourke described as mildly autistic but alert and able to answer all of his questions.

The man said Tracy ties the child up almost every day, O’Rourke’s report stated, and has been doing so for about a year.

According to the report, the man also knew she would tie the child up at night and place him in a dog crate so he could not roam around the house.

The report went on to state that Tracy’s husband, identified as Michael Tracy, also arrived at the scene and was interviewed by a detective.

“Michael knew of the abuse and participated in the abuse,” the report stated.

O’Rourke then interviewed Jodi Tracy, who said she and her husband had been having a lot of behavioral issues with the child for about a year, according to the report.

Put in a dog crate

The mother said she had run out of options after the child began breaking items and harassing the other kids at the residence, so she resorted to putting mittens on him and tying him up to contain him, the report stated. She also said she has to tie the child up at night with mittens and place him in a dog crate in order to prevent him from harassing the other kids.

Jodi and Michael Tracy, Courtney Flores-Tracy and Byington were taken into custody. The name of the victim was redacted from the report, as were the ages of all the parties.

Bond amount for all four suspects was set at $20,000.

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On X: @pvtimes