5-year-old autistic boy found living in filthy, hot RV with sister, age 4
A 42-year-old man is accused of leaving his two preschoolers locked in a hot RV in horrible conditions without water or a means to escape.
Court documents describe the disturbing scene discovered by Kennewick police on July 11 near the corner of Kennewick Avenue and Volland Street.
The 5-year-old jumped from a 6-foot high window in the RV and was nearly hit by a passing car, said police.
The discovery led to the arrest of Joseph A. Banks who was inside a nearby plasma donation center, court documents said.
Banks has pleaded innocent to two counts of second-degree criminal mistreatment. He has since been released on his own recognizance.
A woman called Kennewick police about 4:40 p.m. on July 11 after the boy jumped from the RV window. The boy then ran into the street and into the path of her car, said police.
When the driver stopped, the boy immediately started trying to get into her car, court documents said. The boy led her to the RV where a 4-year-old girl was crying near the front window.
Officers tried to get inside the RV and found the deadbolt and bottom lock were shut. Neither of the kids were able to unlock the doors.
“Once inside of the RV, officers observed alarming conditions, most importantly the RV did not have power and therefore no running air conditioning,” the court documents said.
With temperatures running 90 to 97 degrees, the RV had the potential to reach 120 degrees, court documents said. Young kids are particularly vulnerable to heat because of their inability to regulate their core body temperature.
The RV was parked directly in the sun, said police.
Officers said it was both extremely hot and very muggy inside. The only source of any cooling was a small battery-powered fan.
The children also had no food or running water. There were two warm bottles of Tang to drink but the water was on the top shelf out of reach, said police.
The sink had mold growing in the basin, and the toilet was stained with feces and clogged with toilet paper.
“Officers observed what appeared to (be) finger drag marks through the feces in the toilet, like a child might have played in the fecal matter,” court documents said.
The boy was dressed, but he were layered with dirt and grime. The girl was wearing only diapers and also dirty, they said.
The boy is autistic and didn’t talk, and the girl said she only had two cups of water earlier in the day and had eaten fruit snacks.
Police found Banks at the nearby plasma center. He told police he had run out of gas and was selling his plasma to get some money.
He had checked in shortly before 4 p.m. and officers found him about 5 p.m.
Banks told police he had asked his ex-wife to watch the kids. He said he watched her walk toward the RV and didn’t know she was going to leave them.
The young girl said her mother and other brothers were never at the RV, court documents said.
Banks was previously released from jail after leaving a dog in a hot car in August 2024. Charges were expected to be dropped if he stayed out of trouble, court records show.