DAVENPORT -- Punished for soiling himself, a 2-year-old Davenport boy was lashed with a vinyl belt and forced to sit in a bathtub of cold water -- a case police describe as bordering on torture.

The boy's cries drew the concern of a neighbor, who called Davenport police. Officers who responded about 4:50 p.m. Thursday to 3705 1/2 College Ave. discovered the boy and his 1-year-old sister, who also had injuries from being hit by a belt. Both bore signs of previous abuse dating back several months, according to police reports.

The children are being placed in foster care with the Iowa Department of Human Services, according to police.

The parents, Tremaine Dennelle Coleman, 26, and Sara Neville, 21, both of 3705 1/2 College Ave., are each charged with two counts of child endangerment, according to court documents. Neville, who is pregnant, also faces an unrelated charge of retail theft in Rock Island County. They were in the Scott County Jail Friday on $26,000 bond.

Both parents physically participated in the abuse, Davenport police Capt. David Struckman said.

"The adults in this case failed their kids miserably," he said. "This borders on torture."

When officers arrived, they found the boy shivering in the bathtub, sitting in 4 to 6 inches of cold water with water from the shower head pouring over him, according to police reports. An officer pulled the boy out of the tub, wrapped him in a towel and held him close to his body to warm him.

Emergency medical help was called. During treatment, the boy's core body temperature was in the upper 80s, Struckman said.

"The threshold of when there is a potential for serious problems is about 93 degrees core body temperature, or 34 centigrade," said Dr. William Langley, medical director of Genesis Health Group. "At that point, a child would become sluggish, brain function could be affected, and the heart could begin to beat more slowly and irregularly.

"Lower than 93 degrees and there is danger of the heart stopping."

The boy had 10 bloody bruises on his chest, arms, and legs from being hit with a belt, according to police. The boy's sister also received similar injuries from being whipped by a belt, police said. She also showed bruises from being grabbed by Coleman, police say.

Contact Kurt Allemeier at (563) 383-2360 or kallemeier@qctimes.com.