A 17-year-old was found handcuffed to a pole in his family's dark basement.

Authorities in Kansas City, Missouri, say the teen was shivering and lying in the fetal position on a concrete floor when they found him Monday. He told them he had been there since September and was only given oatmeal, ramen and bologna sandwiches to eat.

A neighbor's cousin called social services when the boy's brother told them what was going on.

One neighbor told HLN affiliate KCTV that she was "heartbroken" to learn what he'd been through, and that he looked "grey," while he was being put in an ambulance.

The boy's brother says the teen was being punished for hitting his stepmother. The teen was treated at the hospital and is now in protective custody.