Three brothers from Iowa were arrested after police accused them of tying their 18-year-old brother to a bed and denying him food and water.
According to a search warrant obtained by KCRG, a local ABC affiliate, police discovered Ezekiel Baseme, 18, dead on Nov. 9, 2024, in the home he shared with his three brothers, Azane Baseme, 23, Pierre Baseme, 26, and Christian Baseme, 30. Police said Ezikiel Baseme’s decomposing body had been left for several days before the three brothers reported his death.
An investigation into Ezekiel Baseme’s death revealed his difficult final days, during which he was allegedly tied to a bed after experiencing a “violent” schizophrenic episode.
According to KCRG, Ezekiel Baseme had a schizophrenic episode on November 3, 2024, following two weeks of erratic behavior. He reportedly threatened his family and claimed to be hearing voices and experiencing hallucinations.
The family told police that Ezekiel Baseme had slipped out of his bedroom in the middle of the night and threatened their neighbors. This allegedly prompted the three brothers to confine their youngest sibling to his bed for his own protection.
After his reported Nov. 3 incident and while he was allegedly restrained, the brothers told police that Ezekiel Baseme refused to eat or drink, and when they untied him to give him water, he reportedly attempted to fight them.
According to the brothers, Ezekiel Baseme made noises on Nov. 5 and 6 as he resisted the ropes that held him down, but on the night of Nov. 6, 2024, they noticed he had stopped breathing.
They told police his heart was still beating, but the next morning, Nov. 7, 2024, the brothers reported that their youngest brother was cold to the touch. They determined he was dead on November 8, 2024, when his body began to “swell and smell.”
They finally reported the death on November 9, 2024.
According to KCRG, the coroner determined that Ezekiel Baseme died as a result of “complications of probable starvation and dehydration in the setting of physical restraint.”
Following an investigation, the three brothers were arrested on March 28 and charged with involuntary manslaughter, assault resulting in serious injury, and forced imprisonment. They are all detained at the Lin County Jail and held without bond. The next court date was not available.
