An 8-year old girl with a developmental disability was found locked in a cage inside her family’s New Mexico home, police say.
The girl–who suffers from microcephaly–was found after her caregivers, Cindy Patriarchias and Edmond Gonzales, took Patriarchias’ three children to see a movie. When her ex-husband discovered they didn’t have the girl with them, he became concerned and phoned police. She was later found in a wooden cage about 2 1/2 feet wide by 4 feet tall which had a crib mattress inside. She was unharmed; however, the couple have been charged with child abuse and are being held on $25,000 bonds. The girl has been placed in protective custody as she is not the biological child of either caregiver. Patriarchias has reportedly been trying to adopt the child, but hasn’t been able to get the consent of her birth mother.
A similar story made headlines late last year when a Tulsa father was arrested for locking a toddler in a cage while he was passed out on a drug/alcohol fueled binge. Another child in the home was found locked out and naked, crying to be let inside. The children were placed into protective custody.
