In Utah, a man and his partner face serious charges of child torture after allegedly depriving his 5-year-old daughter of food to the extent that she resorted to consuming her own feces and other inedible items in a desperate attempt to survive.

According to the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, Daniel James Fivas, 32, took his young daughter to the hospital on August 30, concerned about her lack of weight gain and her distressing behavior of eating her own waste.

Medical examiners observed that the child, referred to as R.C. in legal documents, was suffering from extreme malnutrition and inadequate growth. The district attorney’s office reported that her weight was comparable to that of a 16-month-old infant at the time of her hospital admission.

During the investigation, authorities questioned Fivas, his 41-year-old girlfriend, Jessica Marie Harmes, and Harmes’ 13-year-old son. The boy explained that they all lived together in a one-bedroom apartment, along with R.C. and her newborn half-sister, A.Z.

The teenager revealed that R.C. would often try to access the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry, which prompted the family to install locks on these food storage areas to restrict her access. He indicated that it was Harmes who suggested locking the fridge and freezer.

Fivas told investigators that R.C. “likes to steal food,” leading them to put locks on cabinets, the refrigerator, freezer, and garbage. Fivas also said that he had tried to give up custody of the girl because she “rubbed him the wrong way” and he “resented” her.

Harmes said she noticed after she and her son moved in with Fivas that R.C. would “eat large quantities of food” so they were “hesitant to give her more food.” She said R.C. would “bulk up a little” and then “lose it again,” saying she was “really, really thin” although she was given the same amount of food the 13-year-old ate.

Harmes said they tried to give the girl to state authorities when they learned she was pregnant but they “wouldn’t take her.” She said Fivas told the authorities he didn’t want her and didn’t want to take care of her.

An affidavit obtained by Law&Crime said that Fivas claimed the girl would eat until she vomited and then eat non-food items such as wax and Play-Doh along with feces.

“Over the course of at least two years, the victim has been plummeting in health and growth,” detectives wrote in the affidavit. “The defendants, angry that the victim was ‘stealing food’ that they were depriving her of, went a step further and put child safety locks on every cabinet and appliance that had food.”

“A common late-stage manifestation of starvation is the ability to overcome revulsion and eat non-food in an attempt to sustain themselves, and that eating feces is likely due to starvation,” the affidavit said.

Investigators said R.C. was also forced to sleep on the ground with only a blanket and was not enrolled in school. According to KUTV, Fivas said there was a mattress in storage but it was “too hard to get to” and there was “no room for it.”

The girl was placed in foster care. The status of the other two children was not clear.

Doctors said that R.C. gained nearly 9 pounds over her 16 days of hospitalization “with consistent, scheduled meals,” the DA’s office said.

Last week, Fivas and Harmes were charged with one count each of first degree felony child torture.

“Our children depend on us to care for them, as parents that is our responsibility. Those who do not fulfill this obligation will be held to account for it,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill.

They were denied bond at a hearing last week.

“I do agree that this individual is a danger to the community, not just to his own children, but to any other children,” Judge Richard W. Daynes said, according to Law&Crime. “Based on the depravity of the allegations here, it would appear to me that there’s more going on here than just simple neglect.”

Fivas is due in court again on November 24.