8-Year-Old Boy Tortured In High Desert: San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept.

HESPERIA, CA — A man and woman in San Bernardino County are accused of imprisoning, torturing and attempting to kill an 8-year-old boy.

Elias Heinrich Dickson, 38, and Denise Leann Althoff, 26, both of Hesperia, are due in court Tuesday. They are being held at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, the law enforcement agency was contacted on Nov. 6 after the boy, whose identity was not disclosed, was brought to a high desert hospital "with extensive injuries."

Deputies stationed in Hesperia and Victorville investigated the case, but, due to the circumstances, detectives from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Specialized Investigations Division - Crimes Against Children Detail ultimately assumed the investigation.

Althoff and Dickson were identified as the suspects, and the two were questioned and arrested early on Nov. 7 at the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's Central Station in San Bernardino. The relationship of the pair to the boy was not disclosed.

In addition to false imprisonment, torture and attempted murder, jail records show Dickson is also facing charges of obstruction, battery on a police officer, trespassing and DUI.

Detectives do not believe there are additional victims, according to the sheriff's department.

Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact Deputy Robert Sanchez of the Specialized Investigations Division, Crimes Against Children Detail at 909-495-7018. People wishing to remain anonymous can call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or leave information on the We-Tip website at wetip.com.