A jogger found the 17-year-old boy zip-tied after he had been left, unable to move, for more than five hours, according to police

NEED TO KNOW

• A 17-year-old boy was found zip-tied, wrapped in plastic and “tied to a tree” after allegedly being tortured in mid-July
• Police said he was was unable to move for over five hours
• Police have connected nine people, including two teenagers and an adult woman, to the attack in Queensland, Australia

A teenager was tortured and left tied up for hours in an incident that law enforcement officials have said was not random.

The 17-year-old boy — who authorities did not identify — was found in the early morning on Saturday, July 18, after someone discovered him “tied to a tree” in bushland in Queensland, Australia, the Queensland Police Service (QPS) said in a press release shared Friday, Aug. 7.

He was allegedly assaulted and had suffered “serious injuries” when a jogger discovered him zip-tied and wrapped in plastic off Cape Pallarenda Road in Townsville, according to the QPS and Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News.

Dave Miles, a senior sergeant with the Townsville Child Abuse and Sexual Crime Unit, said the teenage boy was allegedly bashed at a residence in the nearby suburb of Heatley before he was “dumped” in the bushland, per ABC News. The teen was unable to move for more than five hours, Miles said.

Miles also said the alleged assault, which he described as “torture” was not random, according to the outlet.

“It’s concerning, from our perspective, the level of violence that was used and the way in which this young person was left in Pallarenda,” the sergeant said. “Torture is a very significant charge and something we, thankfully, don’t see a lot of.”

The boy was transported to Townsville University Hospital in a stable condition, police said, but he suffered several bone fractures. He underwent several surgeries, ABC News reported, citing Miles.

A car that was driven erratically and involved in a collision nearby where the boy was found is believed to be linked to the incident, ABC News reported. Items found in the vehicle assisted with the investigation, the outlet reported, citing Miles.

Nine people have been connected to the incident as of Aug. 7, according to police.

Three people — a 13-year-old boy, a 14-year-old girl and a 35-year-old woman — have been charged and six more were taken into custody on Aug. 7 after a month of investigations into the incident, the QPS said.

The 13-year-old boy — from the Deeragun suburb — was found and charged first on July 24; he was charged with one count each of deprivation of liberty-unlawfully detain/confine, assaults occasioning bodily harm whilst armed/in company, grievous bodily harm and torture, police said.

The adult woman — from the Kirwan suburb — was found and charged on July 28; she was charged with the same four counts, as well as one count of driving of a motor vehicle without a driver’s licence, according to police.

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The 14-year-old girl — also from Kirwan — was charged with one count each of grievous bodily harm, torture, deprivation of liberty-unlawfully detain/confine and assaults occasioning bodily harm whilst armed/in company.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing. There are no further updates as of Sunday, Aug. 8, the QPS told PEOPLE.

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