Texas Woman Arrested For Tying Up, Caging 2 Toddlers Under Her Care
The police in Texas have arrested a woman after two toddlers in her care were found tied up and caged inside a home.
The children were found inside the San Antonio home on Jan. 9, the police said. The incident came to light after a concerned witness asked the police to conduct a welfare check. When the officers entered the home, they found a 1-year-old girl with her hands and feet bound together. She also had a black eye and bloody lip, police chief William McManus said. Another child, a 2-year-old boy, was found in a covered playpen similar to a cage.
Both kids were ”heavily soiled,” and were crying before being turned over to Child Protective Services (CPS), McManus reportedly said.
The temporary guardian, identified as Priscilla Salias, has been arrested on two child endangerment charges.
“Child endangerment carries a maximum sentence of two years, but I’ll tell you I — what she did to these children is, I mean, it’s unforgivable,” McManus said, according to Yahoo News. “Two years seems like nothing compared to what she did to these children.”
In addition to the toddlers, the authorities learned a 5-month-old baby was also living with the woman. Later, it was revealed the infant was in the care of a different family member at a different house at the time of the incident, San Angelo Live reported.
All three children are now in the custody of CPS, local media reports said, adding that a joint investigation with local police is currently underway.
In July last year, a 43-year-old Florida woman was charged with child neglect and abuse for allegedly keeping a severely autistic child caged inside her filthy and uninhabitable home. The woman, identified as Melissa Ann Doss of Palm Bay, was arrested after officers found a homemade metal and wooden cage where the autistic child was kept. According to arrest records, the officers responded to the house on Fillmore Avenue after receiving a report from a neighbor. The house reeked of feces and urine and didn't have a working toilet. Bugs, spiders and flies infested the residence and a large chunk of its roof was collapsing.