The parents of a 9-year-old boy who died of starvation in July after they left him unattended in a feces-covered room were charged with homicide on Monday.

Authorities in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania filed homicide charges against 38-year-old Jarrod Tutko Sr. and 39-year-old Kimberly Tutko for the death of their son, Jarrod Tutko Jr. who was found dead at their house in July.

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Both appeared in court and were denied bail by District Judge Barbara Pianka.

A Reuters report indicated that the prosecution could later specify charges to the couple, ranging from manslaughter to first-degree murder which can be punished by the death penalty.

According to reports, authorities found the decomposing remains of the 9-year-old child who suffered from the Fragile X Syndrome-a genetic syndrome that causes autism- following reports of a dead child in the Tutko home on August 1.

Medical examinations revealed that the victim had been suffering from neglect as he only weighed 16.9 pounds and was only 42 inches tall when he was found, with no body fat left at the time of his death.

"He indicated that the lack of body fat was a sign of starvation. Dr. Ross noted signs of dehydration and malnutrition," police reports indicated, based on autopsy findings conducted by Dr. Wayne Ross.

Meanwhile, forensic dentist Dr. Andrew Stewart declared that he found two badly abscessed teeth that would have likely caused the victim a lot of pain, as investigations revealed that he never saw a dentist in his life.

The door to the filthy room where Jarrod Jr.'s remains were found was rigged to be opened only from the outside and depicted the abandonment and neglect that the boy had suffered.

Initially, his mother claimed that she had not been allowed to see the boy for several years, but later admitted to seeing him a few days prior to his death.

Records show that four of her children from her first marriage were taken by courts while another five kids from her marriage with Tutko were taken in to foster care.

On the other hand, Jarrod Jr.'s father, who had been receiving government benefit money for having an autistic child, was held in police custody since August with initial charges of endangering the welfare of a child and concealment of a corpse. 

Tagsautistic, Dead, malnutrition, Pennsylvania, homicide, Pennsylvania, Autism, Murder, starvation