ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A Florissant mother made her first appearance in St. Louis County Circuit Court late Wednesday morning in a child abuse case.

According to the St. Louis County Police Department’s probable cause statement, police were notified of the abuse by the defendant’s friend.

The friend told investigators she had spent the night at Alease Chambers’ home and witnessed her administer “brutal” punishments to Chambers’ 5-year-old son.

The friend said Chambers had the 5-year-old ball up his fists and she would then beat the child’s knuckles with her phone and force the child to perform wall squats.

In addition, the friend told police Chambers locked the boy in a closet and pushed a dresser in front of the door to trap him there.

Around 3 a.m., the friend woke up to screaming and crying coming from downstairs. She noticed the 5-year-old was not in the bedroom with his brothers.

Police said the friend went downstairs and found the boy on the floor, his hands zip-tied behind his back, and his pants around his ankles. The boy was covered in marks and bruises, which the friend recorded on her phone to show police.

According to investigators, the other children in the home said their mother routinely beats the 5-year-old with belts, cords, and hangers and makes the boy stay in the closet.

The 5-year-old victim was hospitalized for malnourishment and physical injuries.

Police said the victim’s mother admitted leaving the boy zip-tied for at least two to three hours. She further admitted using belts, cords, and other items to punish her son for sneaking food.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Chambers with two counts of abuse or neglect of a child and one count of first-degree kidnapping. Chambers remains jailed on a $250,000 cash-only bond.