Toddler is found locked inside cage naked in Kentucky house of horrors

by · Mail Online

A toddler was found naked and locked inside of a dirty cage in a Kentucky house of horrors.

The two-year-old boy was found by police 'unclothed and locked behind a wooden and metal enclosure that was secured with a padlock' in northern Kentucky on Monday, according to the Carrollton Police Department.

The grim discovery led to the arrests of five people who are all being charged with first-degree child abuse and wanton endangerment.

Brenda Chilton, 71, William Mahoney, 72, Codey Johnson, 29, Tammy Simmons, 52, and Shelby Turocy, 28, are all currently being held in the Carroll County Jail.

Police arrived to 700 block of 7th Street in Carrollton on Monday in response to a prior tip from a delivery driver who made a stop at the home, WDRB reported.

A 2-year-old boy was found unclothed and locked inside a cage surrounded by human urine and feces inside a Carrollton, Kentucky, home on Monday afternoon
Five suspects were arrested after the grim discovery, including Brenda Chilton, 71, and William Mahoney, 72, who are charged with first-degree child abuse and wanton endangerment

An image of the house shows worn white wooden panels with a grey roof and a red garage beside it. Detective Dave Roberts of the Carrollton Police Department confirmed the address with the DailyMail.com. 

The whistleblower claimed that a young child was being 'caged like an animal' inside the home, The Mirror reported.

A search warrant led officers further into the home and directly to the grisly scene - a naked toddler locked inside a cage surrounded by human urine and feces, which was reportedly all over the room he was being held in.

Jeremiah Reed, a neighbor, recalled hearing police telling the residents, 'You're under arrest for child endangerment,' WDRB reported. 

Two young children, including the two-year-old boy, were removed from the home by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and are now under the care of another family member.

Eight to ten dogs were also found inside the home - all of which were in poor health.

'There were, like, five or six dogs in one cage over there,' Reed added.

Tammy Simmons, 52, and Codey Johnson, 29, were among the five arrested on Monday and are also charged with first-degree child abuse and wanton endangerment
Shelby Turocy, 28, was also arrested for first-degree child abuse and wanton endangerment but also faces three additional charges 

All five suspects were booked into Carroll County Detention Center without bond.

The child's great-grandmother, grandmother and father were among the five suspects arrested, WDRB reported.

'It's a shock!' Darlene Simmons, another neighbor, told WDRB. 'I never seen the kids' mother, I think they gave them away to the father.' 

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They are all facing charges of first-degree child abuse for a child 12 or under and first-degree wanton endangerment - a charge which occurs when a person creates a substantial risk of serious injury or death on another while showing extreme disregard for human life.

One of the suspects, 28-year-old Turocy, was also charged with possession of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and marijuana.

It is unclear whether the toddler needed any medical treatment following the shocking discovery or what the relationship between the five adults were.

The home, which is roughly 50 miles northeast of Louisville, has since been declared unlivable by the city, WDRB reported.

The arrests come just months after Joshua Bowen, a 20-month-old baby boy, was found dead inside his Centre Parkway home in Lexington, Kentucky, in July, Fox 56 reported.

Bowen was found malnourished and underweight with facial bruises in various stages of healing.

Turocy was additionally charged with possession of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and marijuana

He suffered a 'serious blunt force injury to his eye which could have led to his cause of death,' which prompted the arrests of Kyle Guindon, 22, and Brianna Johnson, 27, for charges of first-degree child abuse of a child under the age of 12. 

Kentucky continues to rank as one of the highest states in the nation for child abuse and neglect.

Roughly 15 out of every 1,000 children in Kentucky experienced some form of maltreatment in 2021, according to a report by the US Department of Health and Human Services Children's Bureau. 

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'We have been number one as recently as a few years ago and are still one of the worst in the nation,' Ben Kleppinger, the CASA of Lexington Communications Director told Fox 56 in July of this year.

'We're almost double the national average for the number of children who get abused and neglected here in Kentucky.'

'It can range from everything from a child not getting enough food, not having appropriate clothing or not a safe place to sleep at night all the way to very extreme cases of sexual and physical abuse,' he added.

'Unfortunately, our family court system is so overloaded that social workers, judges and attorneys all have many many cases all at once and they can't really dedicate as much time.'

The state heavily relies on CASA volunteers - people who advocate through the family court system to ensure victims of child abuse and neglect are safe and thrive in a permanent home. 

Following the five arrests, authorities of the Carrollton Police Department emphasized the importance of community vigilance. 

'If you see something, say something,' Dave Roberts, a detective who was on the scene, told WDRB.

'This case serves as a reminder of the vital role that bystanders can play in ensuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable children.'

The five suspects are set to be arraigned for their charges on Wednesday.