Trigger Warning: This article mentions details about child abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
Child abuse cases across America seem like a pandemic that is spreading fast with every passing day. Recently, three people faced charges of abuse after a child was found loitering alone in rural Pennsylvania, leading to the discovery of shocking conditions inside the residence, police report.
Parents Dominic and Zoe Zungali (both 31) and Gillian Bem, 18-year-old aunt of the kids, have been charged with multiple counts, including false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of children, and cruelty to animals. On Friday, July 18, in Blair County, Pennsylvania, resident John Lemon was walking his dog in the Houtz Drive neighborhood when he noticed a dazed young lad wandering alone.
As per Law&Crime, Lemon described the child as frightened, shoeless, and covered in urine. Concerned for his safety, Mr John Lemon chased him into the street, guided him to safety, and flagged down a passerby to call for help. When Freedom Township police arrived at the boy’s home, which is located roughly 200 miles east of Pittsburgh, they uncovered a shocking scene.
Initially, the parents claimed all five of their children were inside, but later admitted that one child had escaped through a window. As the cops entered the property, which led them to the children’s bedroom, what the team saw was horrific. They found bedrooms with drywall torn apart, exposed wiring, and foul odors.
A toddler was found in one bedroom covered in urine alongside old sippy cups and soiled blankets. A second bedroom had a chair used to block children’s exits, and another doorway was blocked by a baby gate secured with zip ties and various household items. Even worse, cops found “cribs turned into makeshift cages” with small children inside. Feces was also found on the outside of the crib as they were tightly zipped to prevent these little and helpless munchkins from escaping.
‘The cribs were zip-tied’: Parents locked 5 children in ‘makeshift cages’ for 20 hours a day before boy escaped and found neighbor, police say https://t.co/m8ANLiATQN
— Law & Crime (@lawcrimenews) July 24, 2025
As per the official affidavit, the kids looked tired and malnourished, with one especially injured. When the authorities went to the popular fast food chain McDonald’s to get them Happy Meals, they came running to ” eat out of extreme hunger.” A two-year-old had a visibly swollen stomach and purplish legs and was hospitalized before being transferred to a specialist.
Neglected pets were also reported throughout the home, and there was no running water. The house lacked functioning doorknobs, preventing children from leaving safely. Allegedly, Dominic and Zoe Zunga, along with their aunt Gillian Bem, would confine children for up to 20 hours a day in that shithole they called a “house.”
The Zungalis are being held on $150,000 bonds each, while Bem’s bond is set at $75,000. All three are due in court for preliminary hearings on July 31. It’s horrible cases like these that prove that certain people are mentally sick and they aren’t capable of being parents.
Such people should be subjected to a heinous punishment and be jailed for the rest of their lives. The state should take care of the children in a decent foster home or orphanage, where they at least get the basic needs to stay alive.
This particular case showcases the dark and sad side of brutal child abuse, where even the fundamental right of a child who should be provided with basic living conditions has been snatched away. We hope the law serves justice to the innocent kids, and the accused should rot in prison.
