O'FALLON, Mo., March 17 (UPI) -- Parents who left their autistic son in a makeshift cage in Missouri have been charged with a felony crime, the prosecuting attorney said in a press release.
Victoria and Terry Smith have been charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, the release said.
Authorities found the child on Dec. 15, 2010 while responding to an anonymous call to the Missouri Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline, The (St. Louis, Mo.) Post-Dispatch said.
Police and paramedics in O'Fallon, Mo., found the 6-year-old boy in a cage sitting in his urine and feces, The Post-Dispatch said.
The 3-foot by 6-foot metal cage had a plywood top and was held together with zip ties, tension straps and bungee cords, the release said.
The parents were not home, and authorities attempted to contact them for three hours, but were unsuccessful, The Post-Dispatch reported.
The boy and five siblings had been left with an older relative who had recently had a stroke and had difficulty caring for the children, the press release states.
The siblings told police they were seldom allowed to play with the caged boy and that he was fed hot dogs and chicken nuggets through the cages' bars.
