Police find naked child, 6, locked in dog cage after neighbours hear screaming
A naked six-year-old child was found locked in a dog cage after concerned neighbour's called police after hearing screaming.
Cops were called to a home in Philadelphia, US, at around 12.50pm on Thursday afternoon and found two partially clothed children, ages 3 and 5, crying and wandering around the garden.
When officers entered the house they found a 6-year-old child naked and locked in a dog cage, which had been secured with a zip tie to stop the toddler escaping, according to police.
It is unclear how long the child had been locked away.
Investigators also found an elderly woman in a wheelchair along with a 40-year-old man in the property.
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Michelle Campbell has also been chargedCops believe the woman is the grandmother to the children while the man is said to be a family member.
Officers were also met by a woman at the home who claimed one of the three children was hers. She was taken away to the Special Victims Unit where she is being interviewed by police.
She has not been charged but an investigation is continuing.
Meanwhile, the children were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation; police do not believe they were physically harmed.
Police were called to the home and found a child locked in a cage (nbc News)Philadelphia Police Public Information Officer Eric Gripp said: "We don't know entirely everything that's going on here.
"This is just an absolutely tragic situation. We have a long investigation ahead of us. But obviously we don't live in a world where under any situation whatsoever we should have a child inside of a cage or young children outside standing in the rain.
"This should never happen and we're going to do everything we can to ensure it doesn't again to these children."
Authorities have charged parents Michelle Campbell, 30, and Paul Weber, 31, with endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering a person.
Neighbour Hector Perez said officers had been called to the home for previous incidents (nbc News)The Philadelphia Department of Human Services refused to confirm if the suspect's had any history of neglect.
A spokesperson told NBC: "Due to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania confidentiality laws, DHS cannot comment whether or not a family has any current or past DHS involvement."
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However, neighbour Hector Perez told NBC police have often been called to the address for different incidents.
He said: "Cops have been coming here on and off. Nothing has ever been done."
The arrest comes after two parents were taken into custody in Ohio, US, after their children were found in a bug-filled cage.
The Philadelphia Department of Human Services refused to confirm if the suspect's had any history of neglect (nbc News)Franklin Varney, 38, and Megan Smith, 25, were charged after their three-year-old was found locked in a cage while their two-year-old was found holding a methamphetamine pipe.
The Hocking County Sheriff’s Office said: "[Law enforcement] located a three-year-old child locked inside a cage, which was secured with zipties. The cage that the infant was in was filled with bugs, soiled bedding, and a cup full of spoiled milk.
"A two-year-old was also found walking around the residence holding a methamphetamine pipe."
The children have since been removed from the parents' care and into social services.
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