Four children were found in harrowing conditions in a Texas home, with two of them reportedly locked in a dog cage, authorities said.
The children, who were malnourished and covered in fecal matter, were discovered on Tuesday morning after police were called to the Dallas house in response to a domestic disturbance, KXAS-TV reported.
The children ranged from ages 1 to 5, with the 4- and 5-year-old found in the cage, according to the Wise County Sheriff’s Office.
"Locking a child, any time, in a dog crate is unacceptable," Chief Deputy Craig Johnson told KXAS-TV. "When you find them in the state they were found today, covered in fecal material, no food readily available to them, didn't appear to have been cared for, it's unacceptable. It's bad."
There was reportedly a fridge in the “filthy” house, but it was locked, authorities said.
The children were transported to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth and two adults, Andrew Fabila and Paige Harkings, were arrested.
Harkings, who is the mother of the four children, is charged with four counts of child endangerment, NBC News reported.
Fabila, the father of one of the children, faces identical charges.
They have not yet entered a plea.
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