DALLAS, Ga. (AP) — An emaciated teenager who had been confined to a bedroom for years with little food is doing well and gained 10 pounds last week, authorities in Georgia said Monday.

Mitch Comer, 18, is being cared for by a local family and is thriving in his new environment, the Paulding County Sheriff's Office said.

His stepfather and mother, Paul and Sheila Comer, were arrested last month and accused of abusing the teen, who weighed 87 pounds when authorities found him in Los Angeles. They face charges of false imprisonment and cruelty to children. A bond hearing for the pair is set for Thursday.

Investigators traveled to Kentucky last week to meet with Paul Comer's family members, who live in Columbus, Ohio. Sheila Comer's family came to Georgia to meet with detectives. Detectives interviewed both families to try to determine what may have led the couple to mistreat the teen.

The Comers' young daughters are in foster care, where authorities hope they will be able to gain a sense of normalcy. Detectives have conducted a forensic interview with the two girls.

On Sept. 11, a retired police sergeant working security at a downtown Los Angeles bus station noticed Mitch Comer. Police decided to investigate further because the 87-pound teenage boy stood just over 5 feet tall and looked much younger, Los Angeles police said last week. The teen told authorities he had suffered from years of abuse after being taken out of school in the eighth grade.

He told authorities his stepfather gave him $200 and a list of homeless shelters before he was put on a bus to Los Angeles on his 18th birthday.

Arrest warrants filed Sept. 12 and 13 in Georgia say the Comers, who now live in Paulding County, "made Mitch kneel on the floor, bend his head and place his forehead against the wall, and place his hands behind his head for long periods of time." The boy said he was fed small quantities of food daily, Los Angeles police said.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.