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A couple in Louisiana were arrested and charged with cruelty after police received a report that a child was forced to live inside a locked closet, according to International Business Times.
Authorities arrested 33-year-old Tiffany Cupp and 32-year-old Jack Branton on Friday (June 11) at a residence on Cedar Drive in Belle Chasse. They had received a call claiming that a 7-year-old girl was being mistreated inside the home. The suspects' relationship to the child has not been released.
"This is a situation where a child was kept in a locked closet," said Plaquemines Parish District Attorney Charles Ballay. "That's what they had for the child. And in a room with puppy pads on the floor for feces and all that."
According to a statement from the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office, an "investigation revealed a juvenile in the care of Cupp and Branton had been living in substandard conditions" which in turn caused the child to sustain serious injuries. After being evaluated and receiving treatment from Children's Hospital, she remains in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services.
While a spokesperson with DCFS could not comment on a potential abuse investigation, Ballay said the main focus is on the child's safety.
"Our main thing is we know this child is protected now," he said, "so it's not like the child's going back with either of them now and from my standpoint, hopefully never."
Both Cupp and Branton are facing one count of second degree cruelty to a juvenile. Since their arrest, they have each been released from jail on a $25,000 bond.