Toddler Found Strapped To Wire Fence With Bungee Cord Wrapped Around Her Neck
A screaming toddler was strapped to a wire fence with a bungee cord around her neck in Spokane, Washington. Neighbor Matt King was mowing his lawn across the street last Wednesday when he spotted the little girl tied to a metal gate with something wrapped around her neck. He said the child was struggling with the bungee cord around her neck.
According to KHQ, the mother said that her daughter got tangled up in the cords. However, she didn’t say why the toddler was alone outside to begin with and reportedly refused to go on camera.
Police previously showed up at the residence three times over the little girl wandering outside the house unsupervised.
Knight took a photo of the child tied up and tangled in the bungee cords after he called the Spokane Police Department. He told the news source what he saw when he heard the toddler screaming while strapped to the wire fence.
VIRAL: Spokane Toddler Strapped To Fence With Bungees https://t.co/zxOAgUoeei via @KIX961
— KIX 96.1 (@KIX961) August 18, 2016
“I walked over there and the kid, like the photo you saw, was strapped or caught up in some of the bungee strap to the fence,” said Knight.
The eyewitness and concerned neighbor expressed that because of “previous things that had happened” at that house, he “wanted some photo evidence versus a bunch of hearsay.”
When police responded three times to the resident’s address, children were found unattended in the street the first two times. The third time was over King’s call about a toddler found unattended and ensnarled in the gate with bungee cords.
“That strap or bungee cord was pretty much at neck level,” said Knight. “She was up on her feet, but she was kind of struggling around her neck.”
#Disturbing: A #Toddler Was Found #Strapped To A #Fence In #Washington #State! https://t.co/9bSNa74L4J via @Platinum_Hustle
— PlatinumHustle (@platinum_hustle) August 20, 2016
KHQ has tried connecting with the people who live at the house several times to no avail. The news source also reached out to the Washington Department of Health Services. They responded by saying that they’re unable to comment on specific cases with the exception of when a “child dies or nearly dies.” They added that a child is immediately removed from a home only if they’re in “imminent danger.”
No arrests have been made, and there haven’t been any charges stemming from child endangerment or neglect slapped on the mother. The toddler who was photographed strapped to the wire fence by bungee cords is still living at home. The image of the toddler has gone viral and is causing outrage. Many are just as incensed to learn that the Department of Health Services in the state won’t remove children unless they’re in probable danger and refuse to comment on a case unless the child dies or is near death.
“What has to happen in Spokane to have your kid taken away??? That is so crazy! Three reported incidents? That child shouldn’t even still be there…so sad,” one commenter wrote.
“How many times will it take?! They will wait until she is dead and then investigate?” penned another.
“When a child dies or nearly dies OH come on bunch of morons How many times do you have to be told,” one more added.
“What in the world does it take in Washington to help these kids………….murder of one of them?” a reader commented.
It doesn’t appear that the mother actually tied her daughter to the wire fence but that the girl got tangled up in the bungee cords that were keeping the gates closed on the property. Regardless, it’s an alarming site for anyone to see a child helpless and struggling with harmful restraints.
[Image via Shutterstock]
