Photo: Fremont County Jail
Authorities in Iowa have arrested a couple after one of their children was found on the street covered in fecal matter, leading officers to discover a makeshift cage from which the child had allegedly escaped. Dustin Carl Lee Perry and Lindsey Barbara Marie Hamilton, both 26, were taken into custody and charged with neglect or abandonment of a dependent and child endangerment, according to a press release from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office.
Fremont police received a report on Thursday, July 25, about a small child alone on a street in Hamburg, Iowa. The child, who police say has developmental disabilities, was found “covered in filth and a mixture of both human and animal feces outside the residence.”
Upon investigating the residence, police found another child inside. Authorities allege that the couple had left the children in their relatives’ care with instructions to confine one child in a “makeshift cage.” The “cage” was constructed from a portable crib, a baby gate roof, and zip ties. The child managed to “escape from the device” and leave the residence without waking anyone up, police said.
In addition to these children, officers found other children in the residence and removed them, though further information about them was not provided. Authorities also discovered a second “homemade cage” in another home in Shenandoah, Iowa, where the child was allegedly confined inside a walk-in closet.
Perry and Hamilton, both from Shenandoah, Iowa, are being held without bond. Authorities have indicated that more charges are anticipated in this case. Online court records did not show plea or attorney information for the couple.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
