Police: Indiana Toddler Forced To Live In Tiny Box
An Indiana couple has been arrested after police say they were forcing a 3-year-old girl to live in a tiny, urine-soaked box. The Daily Star reports that at least nine people have been arrested in association with the shocking discovery — but what will come of this horrifying case?
Police were reportedly alerted to a residence, where they allegedly found a 3-year-old girl living in a small box which had a lid. Police are not saying, however, whether or not the lid was closed with the child inside of the box. What is being revealed is that nine people were arrested at the scene of the horrifying discovery. Of the nine people arrested at the Indiana residence, the 3-year-old tot’s father, his wife, and an 18-year-old woman were taken into custody.
The Ottawa Sun reports that a prison inmate called in a tip to police, which alerted them to the allegedly horrifying conditions in which this child was living. The reported “unusual source” hasn’t been identified in reports, other than that he or she is currently a prison inmate. The information provided by this person led to the authorities executing a warrant to search the home, which ultimately led to the arrests of nine people. Meanwhile, reports have revealed that other children were living in the home at the time of the discovery.
Police say that the Indiana toddler was kept in a 24 by 24 inch box, which had a lid. To the shock of authorities, the nine people in the home “spoke up” about the child, which has led to all of them facing charges. Pulaski County Sheriff Jeff Richwine has offered a variety of statements on this shocking case.
“Even while we were in there and started taking people out, nobody spoke up and said, ‘Hey, there’s a little girl over here in a box.'”
That wooden box, police say, was not only soaked with urine but it was also ridden with bed bugs. The child was reportedly kept in the box “for extended periods of time.” However, specifics surrounding this case haven’t been clarified in many reports. At this time it’s not known if the child was subjected to any other forms of abuse or neglect.
RCMP find boy playing in a box after pulling over Airdrie speederhttp://t.co/oj8IwJlmXW // child in charge. pic.twitter.com/CQPoS95wJb
— yarnsalad???? (@yarnsalad) June 25, 2015
This isn’t the first time a case of this caliber has gained media attention. Earlier this year, the UK Times reported that a 6-year-old boy was kept in a “cage-like box” by his own father. The 6-year-old child was also allegedly raped by his father, as well as forced to engage in sexual intercourse with his own mother. The series of abusive acts lasted for an extended period of time.
Parents file complaint over placing child in box https://t.co/VrXUPtFyQQ via @freep child placed in box to assist with “coping skills!” WTF
— Karen (@klynn928) July 8, 2016
Also this year, a Michigan family filed a restraining order against a school district, alleging abuse against their child. The Detroit Free Press reports that school officials are accused of forcing a child into a box in order to teach him “coping skills.” The parents of the child, who has Down syndrome, believe that this was inappropriate.
As for this latest case out of Indiana, the girl’s condition is currently not known, but authorities do confirm that she — along with other children in the home — have been put into protective custody. No reports are indicating whether or not the other children in the home were subjected to the same level of alleged abuse that the 3-year-old girl had experienced.
[Featured Image by Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office]
