A Colorado couple has been accused of killing their 11-year-old son after forcing him to drink large amounts of water.
The couple, from Colorado Springs, are now facing several charges including child abuse and first-degree murder.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reported that 41-year-old Ryan Sabin and 42-year-old Tara Sabin handed themselves over to authorities on Tuesday and are currently being held without bail.
Watch a news report on the incident below:Zachary Sabin died in Black Forest on March 11, prosecutors said according to Fox News, after the couple made him drink copious amounts of water because his urine was dark.
His parents told him to drink four 24-ounce (0.7 liters) bottles of water over four hours without eating, causing the county coroner's office to conclude that he died from forced water intoxication.
According to an arrest affidavit, Tara Sabin informed authorities that because of a hereditary urological problem, her son wore a diaper at night.
Ryan Sabin, Zachary's father and a sergeant based at Fort Carson, called 111 after discovering the 11-year-old unresponsive in bed and foaming at the mouth.
The arrest affidavit states that Zachary suffered physical abuse as did another five children.
Online booking documents do not provide any confirmation that the couple has hired an attorney who can speak on their behalf.
The Colorado Department of Human Services had received a report about the child's health prior to his death, according to the agency's website. However, the agency did not reveal its response, and a spokeswoman declined to comment on this information to The Colorado Springs Gazette.
A warrant for the pair's arrest was issued on Tuesday before they handed themselves in, and information about the case was not released until then because it sometimes "takes us months to finish an investigation to determine if criminal charges need to be filed."
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