Police in upstate New York say they found a mother’s 2-year-old son in a cage at their home, covered in feces and with several broken bones. The mother is now being charged with child abuse.
The 24-year-old woman was arrested by New York State Police after their son was found living in terrible conditions with broken ribs and bruises all over his body, the police said in a news release Thursday.
Police said they found out about the toddler’s condition when they went to the family’s home in Buffalo on February 4 to serve a felony arrest warrant for the woman in connection with a different crime. There were no more details about the supposed crime in the release.
Reporters went to the house and found the 2-year-old in a bedroom, locked up in “a makeshift cage” made of a playpen with a piece of a crib tied to the top, making it impossible for the child to stand or get out of the playpen.
“Human waste was all over the box and the 2-year-old. “There was poop on the walls,” the detectives said in the statement. “The child and bedding were soaked in urine and fecal matter.”
Chicken Bones Were Found In The Cage, And The Mother Was Jailed
New York State Trooper James O’Callaghan told WKBW-TV that food scraps were found inside the box.
“Bones, like chicken bones. “So I mean, it was something that made you feel sick,” O’Callaghan told the news source.
Child Protective Services was called by investigators on the scene, and EMS took the child to a children’s hospital.
The lady was taken to a Clarence police station and arrested on a charge of endangering a child, the release said.
It wasn’t clear right away if the woman was free on bond Friday.
USA TODAY won’t name the woman to protect the child’s privacy.
Doctors Said The Child’s Ribs Had Been Broken For At Least Ten Days
When the baby got to the hospital, doctors saw bruises on his face and body and two broken ribs that were still healing. This could mean that the baby’s ribs had been broken anywhere from 10 days to two weeks before he was seen by doctors, according to police.
In a talk with police about the child’s injuries, the mother said that the child fell down the stairs sometime between late December 2023 and early January 2024. The woman also said she did not get medical help.
At first, it wasn’t clear if the woman had hired a lawyer.
