11-year-old Camillus boy not fed, abused was taking food from classmates, police chief says

Susan Orendorf Camillus house

Susan Orendorf, 44, of Knowell Road in Camillus, was charged Tuesday with abusing and neglecting an 11-year-old boy. (Anne Hayes | ahayes@syracuse.com)

Camillus, N.Y. — An 11-year-old Camillus boy who authorities say was often not fed for days and abused by his mother for years was taking food from classmates.

The mom, who was charged this week, would go days without feeding her son, according to the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office. He was so malnourished -- around 20 pounds underweight -- he was taken to the hospital after her arrest.

“It is unimaginable that a child would be treated in that fashion,” said Camillus Police Chief Michael Schreyer.

Susan Orendorf, 44, handcuffed her son to a bed frame and forced him to sleep on the ground in only a diaper every night since 2017, according to a criminal complaint filed in Camillus town court.

In early September, Orendorf strangled the boy until his vision became blurry and began seeing “dots,” detectives said.

An Onondaga County prosecutor said that it is possible Orendorf will face more charges as the investigation continues.

The abuse was discovered by a school resource officer at West Genesee Middle School who had built a friendly relationship with the boy, Schreyer said Thursday.

On the first day of school this year, the officer noticed the boy had lost a significant amount of weight over the summer, Schreyer said.

The officer noticed the boy looked malnourished and the boy mentioned something to the officer that also raised a red flag, Schreyer said. Besides the significant weight loss the boy had no visible injuries, he said.

The officer began speaking with other staff members to see if they saw any other warning signs of abuse, he said.

Other school staff members also noticed the boy’s weight loss when school opened and school officials were moving to talk to the boy, said Sgt. Jon Seeber, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.

Together the officer and other staff members confirmed their suspicions and brought the child to one of the school counselors, the chief said. The boy slowly opened up and disclosed some aspects of the abuse, the chief said. Camillus police referred the case to the Onondaga County sheriff’s abused person unit.

Once Orendorf was arrested, the school resource officer realized there may have been red flags dating back to the previous year, Schreyer said.

The resource officer was aware that the student had been in trouble multiple times for stealing food from other students, Schreyer said. While he was never involved with the discipline that followed those incidents he knew that school officials saw the behavior as bizarre, Schreyer said.

However, the mother had come into the school and provided an explanation for the behavior that curbed the suspicions, the police chief said. Schreyer did not know what explanation the mother provided.

West Genesee school officials did not respond to inquiries from Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard.

Schreyer said the officer likely strengthened the bond he had with the boy once the boy was causing trouble. It is a natural reaction for the officer to want to keep a closer eye on the boy and try to check in with him after seeing he was struggling, he said.

Schreyer said that their department will continue to work to raise awareness of the warning signs of abuse within the community and schools.

“We know that there is abuse out there and we want to encourage any victim or witness of abuse to report it,” Schreyer said. “We support them.”

Throughout the investigation, the boy has slowly revealed more and more details of the abuse, Schreyer said.

After days of collecting evidence, investigators executed a search warrant at Orendorf’s Knowell Road home. She was arrested Tuesday. Her charges include first-degree unlawful Imprisonment, second-degree strangulation and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child

Orendorf was released from jail after posting a $40,000 bond.

The boy and his 6-year-old sister have been removed from the home, Seeber said. Police initially said there did not appear to be signs of abuse involving the girl.

Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at ahayes@syracuse.com.

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