Police officer Jody Thompson said he knew he had to adopt the boy after seeing the child's bruised, emaciated body. He ended up adopting her sister, too.
Oklahoma police officer Jody Thompson wasn't on duty when the child abuse call came in, but the details broke his heart.
The sight that awaited him was horrific: An 8-year-old boy, with his wrists bound, had been submerged to his chin in a 55-gallon drum brimming with ice water.
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The child weighed just 61 pounds, and his body was covered in wounds.
"He did not have a spot on him that didn't have a bruise or abrasion," Thompson told InsideEdition.com Tuesday. "I've never seen nothing like this."
He decided, he said, that he would take care of the boy, whose name was John.
He covered the battered child in a blanket, and took him to a child advocacy center so detectives with the Poteau Police Department could take photos of his disfigured body, and then transported him to a hospital.
“I sat with him," Thompson said. “I knew I couldn't let him out of my sight."
John doesn't remember much about that time, he said, except feeling very hungry.
The next day, Thompson applied to become a foster parent, so that he could raise John as his own son.
He then brought John home. He already had two sons, ages 15 and 8. But John fit right in.
Now 10, John accompanied his dad to a state ceremony last week, where Thompson was commended by the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations. “I'm happy that I'm living in a family that is big and loves me," the boy said.
Thompson’s compassion did not stop with John. While the boy’s biological mother was in prison, she gave birth to a girl. Social workers in the Thompsons' small town asked if the officer would provide foster care for the infant as well.
“We literally picked her up in the hospital the next day, when she was a day old, and brought her straight home,” Thompson said.
He eventually sued to terminate the parental rights of the children’s biological mother and father, who are both in prison.
"Jody’s actions, as well as his family’s, are second to none,” police chief Stephen Fruen said in a statement. “The example of love and compassion he has shown to this young man and his sister is an example everyone should follow.”
Thompson said John has decided to publicly share his story. The child hopes it helps other abuse victims. It is a big statement for a young boy.
John is doing well, both in school and at home, Thompson said. "He excels," his dad said. "He's the hero in this. You don't have to let that define you. We're not going to use that as an excuse or a crutch."
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