Otto Warmbier's parents say their son was 'blind, deaf, howling inhuman cries' upon return to US

The parents of American student Otto Warmbier had opened up about their son's grievous condition when he was released by the North Korean government in June.

In a recent interview on Fox & Friends, Fred Warmbier revealed that when they first saw their son after he was flown back from North Korea, they heard "inhuman howling" sounds so terrifying that Otto's mother, Cindy, ran off the plane.

The 22-year-old University of Virginia student had been imprisoned in North Korea for 17 months for allegedly trying to steal a propaganda poster from a hotel. He was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison in March 2016 and reportedly fell into a coma shortly after the trial.

Cindy told Fox & Friends that they were optimistic that Otto would "get the best care and love" upon his return to the U.S. that he would come out of his coma, but they soon found out that their son's injuries were much worse than they could imagine.

"Otto had a shaved head, he had a feeding tube coming out of his nose, he was staring blankly into space, jerking violently," Fred recounted.

"He was blind. He was deaf. As we looked at him and tried to comfort him it looked like someone had taken a pair of pliers and rearranged his bottom teeth," he added.

North Korea has denied that Otto had been tortured during his incarceration, saying he was dealt with according to domestic law and international standards. But the Warmbiers hit back against the Communist regime's claims and urged the U.S. government to list the country as a state sponsor of terror.

"We see North Korea claiming to be a victim and the world is picking on them, and we're here to tell you North Korea is not a victim," Fred stated. "They are terrorists. They kidnapped Otto, they tortured him, [and] they intentionally injured him," he went on to say.

Otto died on June 19, just days after his release. The North Korean government claimed that the student had contracted botulism, but doctors in the U.S. had reportedly disputed the explanation. The doctors noted that there was no evidence that Otto had suffered physical abuse, but prior to his death, it was confirmed that he had suffered severe brain damage.

During a press conference last year, Fred stated that the Obama administration told them to stay quiet about the captivity of their son to avoid offending North Koreans.

He explained that when their son was first detained in 2015, he and his wife were advised by "past administration to take a low profile while they worked to obtain his release."