Photo: Henderson Police Department
Two Nevada parents are facing child abuse charges after police found their 11-year-old autistic son living in a metal cage. An arrest report obtained by KSNV said that officials with the Clark County School District contacted the police to help with a "truancy issue" after the boy stopped showing up at school.
Officers with the Henderson Police Department were dispatched to the boy's home to conduct a welfare check. That's when they discovered the boy was locked in a metal cage, wearing only a diaper. The officer noted there was feces smeared on the floor of the cage.
The arrest report detailed the "inhospitable living conditions," which included rooms with no furniture, fecal matter smeared on the walls, and trash strewn about the residence. There were also rooms with external locks to prevent anybody inside from getting out.
The boy's parents, Misty Scanlan, 46, and Jeffery Scanlan, 41, were taken into custody and charged with a felony count of child abuse or neglect.
One of their children was taken to the hospital for an evaluation, while their other three children were taken into custody of Child Protective Services.