LAS CRUCES, N.M., Jan. 29 (UPI) -- A New Mexico woman and her live-in boyfriend were arrested on child abuse charges after the woman's 8-year-old daughter was found in a wooden cage, police said.
Cindy Patriarchias, 33, of Las Cruces was charged with one count of negligently causing child abuse while Edmond Gonzales, 37, was charged with one count of permitting child abuse, the Las Cruces (N.M.) Sun-News reported.
Las Cruces police were sent to the couple's mobile home Friday evening after receiving a call from Patriarchias' estranged husband saying their adopted daughter had been left home alone while three other children were taken to a school event.
After the family returned home, police searched the trailer and found the 8-year-old inside a wooden cage approximately the size of an average baby crib.
Detectives said the girl did not have any physical injuries but they later learned she suffered from a rare neurological condition called microcephaly, which causes a small head.
Patriarchias and Gonzales were jailed in lieu of cash-only bond set at $25,000 each.
An investigation is continuing, police said.
