6-year-old boy found naked in a cage, Philadelphia police say

The couple are charged after six-year-old boy is found naked and locked in a dog cage in Philadelphia - with two young girls outside in the rain

A couple in Philadelphia has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering a person after a six-year-old boy was found naked and locked inside a dog cage in their home. Two young girls, aged 4 and 5, were also found wandering outside the house in the rain wearing diapers.

Who alerted the police?

A concerned neighbor heard screams around 1 pm on Thursday in the residential neighborhood and alerted the police.

What did the police find when they arrived at the scene?

When the police arrived, they found the two young girls outside the house. After gaining entry, they found the little boy locked inside the dog cage with a blanket and pillow. The gate of the cage was secured with a zip tie.

There was a woman inside the home, who is believed to be the mother of at least one of the three children. She was taken to the Special Victims Unit for an interview with the police but has not yet been charged. An elderly woman in a wheelchair and a 40-year-old man were also found inside the home.

Police believe that the elderly woman is the grandmother or great-grandmother of the children, and the adult male is an uncle with intellectual disabilities.

The children did not appear to be injured but were taken to a hospital for evaluation. They will be in the care of DHS (Department of Human Services) officials.

According to NBC Miami, two other children who live in the home were in school at the time of the incident.
Police are also searching for the father of the children as the investigation continues.

Upon returning from work, Hector Perez discovered the children and was appalled by the sight. "They are wearing Pampers, without shirts, pants, or shoes. It's pouring rain, and it's freezing cold," Perez told Action 6 News. "They are screaming and crying out for their parents."

According to a neighbor, the Department of Human Services had visited the house before, as reported by the news outlet. "DHS cannot confirm whether a family has had past or current DHS involvement due to State confidentiality laws," the department stated in a statement to Action News.

Although the police could not confirm, some individuals believe that the boy may be autistic, as stated by NBC Miami.

'We don't know entirely everything that's going on here,' the police spokesperson said. 

'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.' 

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