The interior of a Pennsylvania “house of horrors,” where it is claimed that five children were confined in a ‘dungeon’ and endured harsh punishment, has been exposed.
New pictures acquired by Daily Mail provide a glimpse inside the filthy residence in Redstone Township, where James Russell Kahl, 65, and his wife Carly Kahl, 41, are alleged to have mistreated their children.
Appearing to be taken when the home was on the market, the home is seen with doors hanging off hinges, unfinished paintjobs, and crumbling ceilings.
In one particular room with damaged doors and dirty carpets, sliding windows are visible, which authorities believe might have been covered with wooden boards, accompanied by three deadbolts on the door.
Within a bedroom where it’s claimed the five children were held captive, investigators discovered feces smeared on the walls. The children were reportedly given minimal food and clothing and had no beds to sleep on.
According to arrest documents, Russell allegedly coerced his wife Carly into using a Taser on one of the kids within the past two weeks before their arrest last Wednesday.
‘There’s absolutely no justification for using something like a stun gun on a child,’ stated Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele.
Also in the home police uncovered a stun gun, a replica pistol and some drugs while conducting a search warrant, police said.
The inside of a Pennsylvania house of horrors where five children were allegedly locked in a ‘dungeon’ and subjected to severe punishment has been revealed
New images obtained by Daily Mail show inside the squalid home in Redstone Township with doors hanging off hinges, unfinished paintjobs, and crumbling ceilings
James Russell Kahl, 65, and his wife Carly Kahl, 41, allegedly abused their children inside the squalid property
When cops hauled the Kahl’s from their home this week, police said they found insects had overran the squalid property.
Outside the home, piles of garbage and construction materials could be seen littering the property.
In a criminal complaint, police said that the room where the children were allegedly confined ‘functioned as a dungeon, with video cameras hardwired to the father’s room.’
Authorities now say James neglected his children – who were between the ages of five and 14 – as he smoked marijuana all day.
‘We have evidence that there were some cameras that were hardwired to another room where these children were being observed,’ he continued.
The district attorney went on to thank the ‘brave family member’ who reported the ‘deplorable conditions’ to the state’s ChildLine system.
‘Law enforcement cannot be in every household and every single minute of every day; we need people to come forward and think of these children,’ he said.
Police were first alerted to the deplorable conditions at the house when they were called on to assist Fayette County Children and Youth Services with an investigation
Investigators said that the couple boarded up windows in a ‘dungeon’ room where the five children were kept in captivity
Outside the home, piles of garbage and construction materials could be seen littering the property
When cops hauled the Kahl’s from their home this week, they said they found insects had overran the squalid property
Fayette County Children and Youth Services received the alert, and Pennsylvania State Police were called on to help assist them in their investigation of the claims on August 8.
That is when they first saw the squalor the children were living in inside the two-story suburban house.
‘It’s sickening – that’s the only word that I can use to describe what we saw and what those children went through,’ Pennsylvania State Trooper Ally Wilson told WTAE.
When troopers then asked about the locks, they said James told them he would ‘not be removing the locks from the bedroom door for any reason.’
The children are now safely in the custody of Children and Youth Services.
Meanwhile, their parents are facing endangering the welfare of children, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, use of an incapacitation device and drug charges.
Carly Kahl, 41, seen following her arrest this week
James Russell Kahl allegedly told Carly to pull a Taser on one of the children within the last two weeks, and when troopers then asked about the locks, they said James told them he would ‘not be removing the locks from the bedroom door for any reason’
Bail has been denied for both of the parents, who are being held at the county jail, according to court documents obtained by Daily Mail.
Those documents also show that James Russell has had a series of run-ins with the law in the past, including a harassment charge he pleaded guilty to in 2006.
That same year, he was also arrested for driving under the influence, and in 2012 he was charged with a probation violation.
Trooper Wilson said she now hopes ‘that these parents go to jail and they answer for what they’ve done.’
