A toddler was found in a cage by police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, prompting the arrest of the 18 month-old’s father, who was discovered asleep in a drug or alcohol “induced stupor,” according to a police statement on Monday.
A neighbor notified police after they discovered the toddler’s older sister, 4, naked outside the family’s home, reports Fox News . They received no response from knocking on the door and neither did the officer who arrived at the scene.
Tulsa police spokesman Officer Leland Ashley stated that “then one of the officers looked inside and saw a small child in a dog cage.”
Police forced their way inside the home where they found the toddler in a cage covered in feces with a 3-year-old child sleeping in another room. Their father was discovered asleep on a bed “in an alcohol- or narcotics-induced stupor,” according to Ashley.
The three children have been placed in the custody of the Department of Human Services while their father was arrested and will likely be charged with child neglect, reports ABC News .
The mother of the toddler who was found in a cage was at work during the incident but arrived home as officers were getting ready to leave the scene. Ashley added:
“A citizen was concerned, he heard a small child crying outside for about 20 minutes. He went outside to investigate and found the 4-year-old child. You have to give credit to that neighbor who acted and did not ignore the situation.”
The father, who is being held at the Tulsa County jail on a $500,000 bond, has not been identified to protect the identity of the toddler found in a cage and her siblings, who did not show any physical signs of abuse.
