Girl Was Chained in Basement for Years, Sex Trafficked and Mutilated. She Survived by Drinking Puddle Water: Authorities

Content warning: This story contains graphic details of alleged child sexual abuse.

• A girl alleged to authorities, per a criminal complaint, that she and her sister were sexually abused by their grand-godmother’s boyfriend, which began when they both were under the age of 10
• David Boyd has been charged in connection with the allegations
• One of the victims provided a sketch to authorities, allegedly of Boyd’s basement, showing herself as a stick figure tied to a pole

A Wisconsin man has been accused of child sex abuse and false imprisonment after a young girl told authorities he’d held her in his basement on several occasions, where he sexually assaulted and trafficked her.

David Boyd, 64, was taken into custody on Saturday, April 26, on child trafficking, child sexual abuse and false imprisonment charges, according to online court records reviewed by PEOPLE. 

Two alleged victims, who were both minors during the alleged abuse — which authorities say spanned years in Brown Deer, Wis. — spoke with investigators during a months-long investigation that began in January, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE.

The investigation began when one of the alleged victims confided in her foster parent, and the parent then reported the allegations to police, according to the complaint.

One of the alleged victims claimed that Boyd, of Milwaukee, allegedly began abusing her when she was about 8 or 9 years old, in 2020, and the abuse lasted till 2024, per the complaint.

She claimed Boyd was her grand-godmother’s boyfriend.

Boyd allegedly cut her in different part of her body, including her private parts, on one occasion using a box cutter, per the complaint.

He allegedly brought the child to his home in Milwaukee, where he chained her to a pole in his basement, per the complaint.

She alleged he left her there with one piece of bread; court documents cited by the outlets alleged she was forced to drink water from a puddle on the ground. The child detailed her environment in a sketch of the basement, as published in the criminal complaint.

The sketch shows a pole next to a washer and dryer, with a “chain” attached to the neck of a stick figure, which the girl labeled as “me.” At the foot of the figure, there is a piece of bread (labeled “bread”), underneath which is a sketch of waves, with the label “water.”

Boyd is further accused of trafficking the girl to several men; on one occasion, he allegedly made the girl choose the order in which they would sexually assault her, per the complaint. He only stopped when his daughter called him from downstairs.

The child’s sister alleged to authorities that Boyd began sexually assaulting her in 2015 when she was 5 years old, and continued to do so until she was 12, when she moved away, the complaint states.

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Investigators say they found knives in Boyd’s home, as well as hooked chains hanging from the ceiling of his basement, according to the complaint.

Milwaukee police, which is assisting Brown Deer officials with the investigation, declined to comment on the matter. Brown Deer police and the District Attorney’s office did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

Boyd has been charged with two counts of repeated sexual assault of the same child, one count of child abuse, one count of false imprisonment, one count of child trafficking and one count of use of dangerous weapon, online court records show.

He last appeared in court on Sunday, per online records, which did not indicate attorney and plea information.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.