A toddler was found naked and locked in a filthy cage in a house of horrors in Kentucky.
The two-year-old boy was found by police “unclothed and locked behind a wooden and metal enclosure that was secured with a padlock” in northern Kentucky on Monday, Carrollton police said.
The grim discovery led to the arrest of five people, all charged with first-degree child abuse and wanton endangerment.
Brenda Chilton, 71, William Mahoney, 72, Codey Johnson, 29, Tammy Simmons, 52, and Shelby Turocy, 28, are all currently being held in the Carroll County Jail.
Police arrived Monday at the 700 block of 7th Street in Carrollton in response to an earlier tip from a delivery person who stopped by the home. WDRB reported.
A 2-year-old boy was found unclothed and locked in a cage surrounded by human urine and feces at a home in Carrollton, Kentucky, on Monday afternoon.
Following the grim discovery, five suspects were arrested, including Brenda Chilton, 71, and William Mahoney, 72, who are charged with child abuse and wanton endangerment.
An image of the house shows worn white wood panels with a gray roof and a red garage next to it. Detective Dave Roberts of the Carrollton Police Department confirmed the address to DailyMail.com.
The whistleblower alleged that a young child was locked in the house “like an animal.” The mirror reported.
A search warrant led officers further into the house and straight to the grisly scene: a naked toddler locked in a cage surrounded by human urine and feces, which was reportedly all over the room in which he was being held.
Jeremiah Reed, a neighbor, recalled hearing police tell residents, “You’re under arrest for child endangerment,” WDRB reported.
Two young children, including the two-year-old boy, have been removed from the home by the Cabinet Office for Health and Family Services and are now in the care of another family member.
Eight to ten dogs were also found in the house, all of which were in poor health.
“There were about five or six dogs in there in one cage,” Reed added.
Tammy Simmons, 52, and Codey Johnson, 29, were among the five arrested Monday and also face charges of first-degree child abuse and wanton endangerment
Shelby Turocy, 28, was also arrested for first-degree child abuse and wanton endangerment, but also faces three additional charges
All five suspects were booked into the Carroll County Detention Center without bond.
The child’s great-grandmother, grandmother and father were among the five suspects arrested, WDRB reported.
‘It’s a shock!’ Darlene Simmons, another neighbor, told WDRB. “I never saw the mother of the children, I think they gave them away to the father.”
They are all charged with first-degree child abuse of a child 12 years of age or younger and first-degree wanton endangerment — a charge that occurs when a person creates a substantial risk of serious injury or death to another while demonstrating extreme disregard for human life.
One of the suspects, 28-year-old Turocy, was also charged with possession of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and marijuana.
It is unclear whether the toddler required medical treatment after the shocking discovery and what the relationship was between the five adults.
The home, located about 50 miles northeast of Louisville, has since been declared unlivable by the city, WDRB reported.
The arrests come just months after Joshua Bowen, a 20-month-old baby boy, was found dead in his Center Parkway home in Lexington, Kentucky, in July. Fox 56 reported.
Bowen was found malnourished and underweight with facial bruises in various stages of healing.
Turocy was additionally charged with possession of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and marijuana
He suffered a “severe blunt force injury to his eye that could have resulted in his death,” prompting the arrest of Kyle Guindon, 22, and Brianna Johnson, 27, on charges of first-degree child molestation of a child under 18 . the age of 12 years.
Kentucky remains one of the highest states in the country for child abuse and neglect.
About 15 in 1,000 children in Kentucky experienced some form of maltreatment in 2021, according to a report from the University of Kentucky. Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“We were number one just a few years ago and are still one of the worst in the country,” said Ben Kleppinger, CASA of Lexington Communications Director. Fox 56 in July this year.
“We are almost double the national average for the number of children abused and neglected here in Kentucky.”
“It can range from anything from a child not getting enough food, not having adequate clothing or a safe place to sleep, to very extreme cases of sexual and physical abuse,” he added.
‘Unfortunately, our family justice system is so overloaded that social workers, judges and lawyers all have many cases at once and cannot devote as much time.’
The state relies heavily on CASA volunteers: people who work through the family justice system to ensure victims of child abuse and neglect are safe and thrive in a permanent home.
Following the five arrests, authorities with the Carrollton Police Department emphasized the importance of community vigilance.
“If you see something, say something,” Dave Roberts, a detective who was at the scene, told WDRB.
“This case reminds us of the crucial role that bystanders can play in ensuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable children.”
The five suspects will be arraigned on Wednesday.