A 12-year-old boy from Tifton, Georgia, is recovering from second-degree burns after what police say was a cruel prank by three of his friends. The boys, aged 12 to 15, allegedly dumped scalding water on the victim while he slept during a sleepover.
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The boy’s mother, Tiffany West, described the moment she found her son in pain. “I really can’t describe it. I was just mad, hurt, in shock. Everything—I was seeing red. I was just trying to hurry up and get him some help,” she told local station WALB News 10.
The attack left the boy with severe burns on most of his face. He was rushed to a burn center in Augusta, where he underwent surgery. He is now recovering at home, a process doctors say will take 12 to 14 days, but the emotional scars may take far longer to heal.
“You got to be in shock to know your friends are capable of doing this to you. Like somebody you trusted—it’s just horrible. He never thought something like this would happen to him,” said the boy’s aunt, Nachelle.
The victim’s family says they are struggling with medical bills and the emotional toll of the incident. “My brother and Tiffany have been out of work since this happened with all the traveling. She’s still gonna be out of work to take care of him while he’s recovering. Mentally, he’s gonna need counseling to trust people again,” Nachelle added.
The three boys accused in the incident have been released to their families and are awaiting a hearing scheduled to take place in about a month.
