A year-long investigation into child abuse resulted in the arrest of two people in Canton, Ohio.
In August 2019, Child Welfare Services contacted police about three children they believed had been mistreated in a Canton home. After that, detectives found evidence that a 7-year-old girl was locked in a dog cage in the basement as punishment.
Police say the baby weighed only 28 pounds. In addition, he could have been subjected to other cruel punishments, including beating with a wooden stick.
There were two more children in the house who were placed in temporary care. The officers have no reason to believe that they were also subjected to domestic violence.
A Stark County jury indicted 29-year-old Lillian Cottrell, the mother of a 7-year-old, and her boyfriend, 30-year-old Derek Mayle, on Monday. It is not known if any of them are the parents of two other children.
Cottrell and Mail are now in custody. They are due to appear in court on Friday.
