Florida police arrested a couple after finding a two-year-old child barricaded inside a closet and an infant in need of hospitalization.
James Spiess, 28, and Rebecca Worthington, 27, were arrested by the Port St Lucie Police Department and charged with two counts of child neglect on Wednesday.
Investigators say they found the two-year-old trapped inside a small closet with no light. Officials say the door to it was blocked with furniture.
“The door to the closet had baby gates, dog gates, headboards, pieces of wood, and chairs tied together with bed sheets and belts blocking the closet door,” the police department said in a statement.
Law enforcement also found a two-month-old in their home with “severe diaper rash” spanning from the baby’s thigh to the back that required hospitalization, the police department said.
An investigation revealed the infant had not seen a doctor since birth, police said.
Police found the children while responding to an investigation from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) into the potential neglect of four children, ranging in age from two months to 3 years old.
The additional two children in Mr Spiess and Ms Worthingtons’ care were placed with a “responsible family member,” the department said.
Just days ago, police also arrested a father who they say abandoned his three children for hours in Satellite Beach, Florida — a 90-minute drive from Port St Lucie.
Police say Leonard Nile left his 9-year-old daughter and two other young children — just 10 and 11 years old — alone on an island near the beach even though he was supposed to be supervising their camping trip. The three were rescued after a pair of Good Samaritans eventually found them screaming for help late Saturday night.
