George Stinney, Jr and his older brother John were arrested on suspicion of murdering the girls. John was released by police, but George was held. He was not allowed to see his parents until after his trial and conviction. According to a handwritten statement, Stinney's arresting officer was H.S. Newman, a Clarendon County deputy, who stated, "I arrested a boy by the name of George Stinney. He then made a confession and told me where to find a piece of iron about 15 inches were he said he put it in a ditch about six feet from the bicycle." No confession statement signed by Stinney is known to exist. The 14-year-old later claimed that the arresting officers starved him and then bribed him with food to confess.