INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Georgia Child Found In Cage: Three Arrested After Special Needs Child Found In Makeshift Cage

By Lindsay McCane
Published on: 05:31 PST, Aug 7, 2015

A Georgia child was found in a cage, leading to the arrest of three adults.

According to NBC News, the authorities discovered a special needs child sitting in a makeshift cage in the Georgia home, 90 miles north of Atlanta in Murray County, during a welfare check.

On Thursday, August 6, the police responded to a 911 call, claiming that a child had been left alone. When the Murray County deputy arrived at the home, he was met by a young girl and an adult female. Realizing there was adult supervision, he left the scene.

However, later that day, the same person again called 911 asking for help. This time, the deputy went inside the home, where they found an 11-year-old boy with special needs inside a makeshift cage. An 8-year-old girl with special needs was also in the home, NBC News affiliate First Coast News reports. A second cage was found in the home and is believed to be used for the special needs girl.

“It’s just unbelievable,” Greg Ramey, special agent at the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Calhoun office, told the New York Daily News. “It’s just not something that is normal.” “I don’t know any justification for a parent ever doing that.”

As of Friday, August 7, three people had been taken into custody and were being held on child cruelty charges. They also face false imprisonment charges, and one of the adults was charged with possession of methamphetamine. Two of the suspects were identified as the child’s mother, 34-year-old Stephanie Stone, and her stepfather’s fiancée, 49-year-old Wanda Sue Redfer. The other person remains unidentified, and no bond has been set for any of them at this time.

According to law enforcement, the Division of Family and Children Services “had been involved with this family.” They also said the boy’s cage was made from two twin beds held together with zip-ties and wooden slats. The other cage consisted of wooden bed frames with added wooden pieces and metal shelving.

Murray County, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, and the state Department of Family and Children’s Services are currently investigating the child abuse. The children have been taken from the home and placed in protective custody.

What punishment do you think the adults should receive for locking the children in cages? Leave your comments below.

[Photo via Shutterstock]

Share this article: Georgia Child Found In Cage: Three Arrested After Special Needs Child Found In Makeshift Cage
More from Inquisitr