A 15-year-old boy who deputies say was confined inside a padlocked room without running water or air conditioning remains missing from a rural property near Three Points, even as his mother and her boyfriend sit in Pima County Jail on felony child abuse charges. Ryker Lee was last seen around 10 a.m. Tuesday from the 9100 block of South Silver Star Road, and he is a Type 1 diabetic who requires daily insulin, making his continued absence a medical emergency as well as a missing person case.
Danielle R. Lee-Sharp, 39, and Michael A. Menzie, 43, were booked into Pima County Jail on felony child abuse charges after a runaway report brought deputies to the property, according to 12News. As deputies investigated the report, they found the small, padlocked room inside a recreational vehicle on the property where Ryker had reportedly been confined, the station reported, describing conditions that lacked running water and air conditioning. Deputies found the room while investigating the runaway report.
Two Younger Siblings Removed From the Home
The investigation didn't stop at the RV. Deputies also found two younger siblings living in unsanitary conditions inside the main house, according to 12News. The Arizona Department of Child Safety took emergency custody of the two children.
The case now involves both an active search for a missing, medically vulnerable teenager and a criminal prosecution tied to conditions inside the same household. Deputies have described Ryker as 5-foot-9 and about 120 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes, last seen wearing a neon green shirt and floral-print pants, according to a Pima County Sheriff's Department bulletin reported by Hindustan Times. Authorities have issued a missing juvenile notice as they search for him.
The Search Southwest of Tucson
Three Points is an area southwest of Tucson. Authorities are searching for Ryker, who needs daily medication and has been missing for more than a day.
The child abuse counts against Lee-Sharp and Menzie remain allegations at this stage of the case. Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3623, criminal child abuse charges can range from a Class 2 felony to a Class 6 felony depending on whether the underlying acts were intentional, reckless, or criminally negligent, and whether they occurred under circumstances likely to produce death or serious injury; criminally negligent child abuse in circumstances not likely to produce serious injury or death is a Class 6 felony, according to the Rideout Law Group. A first-time Class 4 felony conviction alone can carry a potential state prison sentence.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department has handled other severe child harm cases in recent weeks. In August, deputies arrested a 34-year-old Tucson father on charges of first-degree murder and sexual abuse of a minor after an infant drowning story unraveled at a local hospital, Hoodline reported at the time. Anyone with information on Ryker Lee's whereabouts is urged to contact the Pima County Sheriff's Department.
