Texas Drought Will Harm the Ecosystem for a Long Time
Footprints mark the bank of a partially dried-up pond near downtown Dallas, Aug. 1, 2011. REUTERS

The father and stepmother of a 10-year-old Texas boy who died after they denied him water as punishment have been charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, the Associated Press reported.

Michael Ray James and Tina Alberson, 42, made the boy, Jonathan, stand in one place without water as punishment, according to police, the Austin-American Statesman reported.

In this case, they punished him for wetting his bed, the Dallas Morning News reported.

Jonathan's twin brother, Joseph, told the Dallas Morning News that James and Alberson made Jonathan stand by a window in a room without air conditioning. Temperatures in their area would reach up to 100 degrees.

Jonathan died on July 25. The Dallas County medical examiner ruled that he died of dehydration, the Austin-American Statesman reported.

Joseph also said that when Jonathan had peanut butter stuck in his throat on the day he died, James and Alberson would not give him anything to wash it down.

I wanted to do something, but I couldn't, Joseph said. I couldn't do nothing because I would get in trouble.

Joseph and his 12-year-old stepbrother were not injured and are staying with relatives, the AP reported.

Water