A grandmother accused of forcing her 9-year-old grandson to stay in a closet reportedly gave the boy pills that were not prescribed to him to “make him be quiet,” a court document shows.

The grandmother told authorities she didn’t allow the boy — who weighed only 48 pounds — to go to school because “they can’t handle him.” As a result, the boy was unable to read or write.

Becky Lee Tortellet, 50, and her husband, 52-year-old Larry Alan Tortellet, have been arrested on child abuse charges.

According to a search warrant affidavit, Becky Tortellet took her 9-year-old grandson to a behavioral health center for assistance where she told them that she made the boy sleep in a closet, which measured 49 inches deep and 41 inches wide.

The center contacted Child Protective Services and the boy and his 8-year-old brother — who was allowed to go to school and appeared to be normal — were removed from the home.

During an interview with authorities, the 9-year-old said that he has to sleep in the closet and is also made to stay in there when he is punished or when his grandmother was in the bathroom, the court document states.

The boy — who had pale skin and difficulty walking — said it was his fault because he misbehaves.

“I am bad, horrible, and my mom doesn’t want me anymore,” he said. He refers to his grandmother as his mom. His biological mother left the two boys with the grandmother years ago and hasn’t been heard from since, authorities said.

He has to wear a diaper while in the closet, which contained carpet, a sleeping bag and a sheet. It was described as having a “heavy foul odor of urine and feces.”

The boy’s 8-year-old brother told authorities he has his own room and that his brother was in the closet because he was naughty and needed to be put into an institution, according to the document.

The 8-year-old also said he liked watching movies with his grandparents, whom he referred to as mom and dad. However, his brother did not watch with them because he was in the closet.

The family moved to Tucson in December 2007 and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department believes that the boy has been in the closet since then. The 8-year-old said that his brother was also kept in the closet when they lived in Texas.

After being removed from his grandmother’s home, the 9-year-old was placed in a group home and told investigators that he liked it there because he sleeps in a bunk bed and can see out of a window.

Sheriff’s deputies seized white pills prescribed to Becky Tortellet as well as a prescription bottle of clonidine and other pills, a search warrant shows. They also seized paperwork from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

CPS in Arizona has had no prior contact with the children or their grandparents, said Vicki Gaubeca, a CPS spokeswoman.

Becky Lee Tortellet

Larry Alan Tortellet