Minnesota Parents Who Locked Their Kids in Cages for ‘Their Safety’ Sentenced to 4 Years: Reports

In the bedroom, the investigator and social worker found a 2-year-old child “trapped inside a playpen that was covered by what appeared to be a dog gate,” per the complaint. Two children, aged five and seven, were also located in a bunk bed in the room that had been “converted into an actual cage.”

A 9-year-old child was also reportedly found unconfined in a basement bedroom.

According to the complaint, per multiple reports, Christina initially said that the kids were kept locked up to keep them from dying “because door alarms and child-proof locks would not work” and they were usually locked up at night. She said she hadn’t released the kids that day “because she woke up late.”

Authorities determined that the children were locked up for at least 13 hours before the investigator and social worker arrived at the home, per KSTP.

According to the complaint, per the outlets, the children were removed from the home and medically evaluated. The three elder children had “extensive bruising” and the youngest child wore a diaper duct taped to their skin.

Several instances of child abuse were reported by the children in interviews, including being hit “really hard” by Christina and Benjamin, 42, having their hands tied with duct tape behind their backs, being hit with a belt if chores weren’t done and not being able to go to the bathroom at night due to being caged, per KSTP.

The 9-year-old was reluctant to speak and told officials that their parents “don’t want them talking about trouble” and to “keep it in the family,” CBS News reported.

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