Mom and stepdad kept boy confined inside 'small, padlocked room' in RV without water, restroom and air conditioning — and now the kid is missing, cops say

A missing 15-year-old Arizona boy was kept locked inside a cramped room in an RV for hours every night by his mother and stepfather, who also forced him to urinate into plastic bottles and sit in complete darkness, cops say.

Ryker Lee was reported as a runaway on Tuesday, the same day deputies with the Pima County Sheriff's Department went to the home of his mother, Danielle Lee-Sharp, 39, and her husband, Michael Menzie, 43, and found living conditions that were "not suitable" for children, according to an interim complaint obtained by Law&Crime.

Lee-Sharp and Menzie had three children living with them at the home, including the 15-year-old. The other two kids are 6 and 10 years old, according to the complaint.

Lee-Sharp and Menzie are each charged with three counts of child abuse.

According to the complaint, deputies went to the residence after Ryker was reported missing and were told by Menzie and Lee-Sharp that the teenager slept outside the main house in an RV.

The pair allegedly consented to a search of the RV.

Inside, deputies allegedly found the vehicle divided in half by a wooden door lacking a doorknob. Screws on the side of the door prevented it from being opened from the other side, according to the complaint.

"Ryker Lee had been confined inside a small, padlocked room within a recreational vehicle that lacked running water, restroom facilities, and air conditioning," the Pima County Sheriff's Department says in a press release obtained by Law&Crime.

The area where Ryker sleeps measures approximately 6 feet by 5 feet and has two windows, according to the complaint.

"[Lee-Sharp] stated that the swamp cooler for the RV broke," the complaint explains. "No fan or swamp cooler or running water was located inside the room. There is no access to a restroom and multiple plastic bottles were located with possible urine inside which Danielle did confirm that [Ryker] does urinate in them. Spiders and spider webs were also observed near the box-spring where [Ryker] sleeps."

Menzie allegedly told police that he and Lee-Sharp had a routine of intentionally locking Ryker inside the RV every night for "multiple hours."

Lee-Sharp told investigators the key to the makeshift confinement area was kept inside the house on her dresser, per the complaint. The RV had no electricity, according to police.

Lee-Sharp allegedly told investigators that Menzie did not sleep in the RV but would occasionally fall asleep while Ryker was in the other half of the vehicle.

The complaint says Ryker has Type 1 diabetes and alleges that leaving him alone for hours without supervision under those conditions was likely to endanger his health.

Inside the main residence, police allegedly encountered a strong odor of cat urine. The complaint says the flooring was stained with cat urine and vomit, while garbage and miscellaneous items were strewed across the floors, making it difficult to move through the home.

The children's bedroom reportedly had clothing, garbage and other items blocking the entrance. "The children had plastic mattresses with no bedding," the complaint says. "Their closest bathroom had no sink and the toilet was turning black and brown from not being cleaned."

In the master bedroom, police allegedly found cat feces stains throughout the floor. A mattress was allegedly laid directly on the bathroom floor, appearing to have children's bedding on it and reportedly stained yellow after being positioned next to a cat litter box.

Police found a rifle "laid out in the closet" that was "not properly secured and was accessible with ease," the complaint adds.

The kitchen was allegedly littered with garbage and full trash bags. Police discovered a hole in the middle of the kitchen floor caused by a leaking pipe and the floor was beginning to sink, according to the complaint.

The refrigerator, meanwhile, allegedly contained food that was no longer edible and was beginning to mold. Ants and spiders were seen throughout the residence, according to the complaint.

The two younger children living at the residence were taken into Department of Child Services custody. Police have said that the family has a history with child welfare authorities going back several years.

Ryker was last seen on Sept. 22 near State Route 86 and State Route 286 in Three Points, also known as Robles Junction, around 10 a.m., according to the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

Police said he left home on foot.

"You know, we get runaways all the time, and you don't see this kind of response from us typically," Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told local ABC affiliate KGUN. "But when there's a concern of life or death, his medical condition, then we're going to step up our game."