Police Report Parents Converted Children’s Cribs Into Improvised Enclosures

Authorities report that three individuals are charged with child abuse following an incident where a young boy was found wandering near his rural Pennsylvania home, leading to the discovery of a residence in “horrific” condition.

Dominic Zungali and Zoe Zungali, both aged 31, along with Gillian Bem, 18, are charged with two counts of false imprisonment, five counts of endangering the welfare of children, and five counts of animal cruelty. The Zungalis are presumed to be the parents, with Bem being their aunt.

On Friday, July 18, Blair County, Pennsylvania, resident John Lemon was taking his dog for a walk in the neighborhood of Houtz Drive when he saw a “disheveled” 7-year-old boy wandering around, according to reporting from Altoona-based CBS-affiliate WTAJ.

“He was really distraught and confused and very scared-looking,” Lemon later recounted, describing the boy as shoeless and covered in urine. “So I asked the boy, like, ‘where’s your mommy and daddy?'”

The boy did not respond, and Lemon said he grew concerned. Video taken by the outlet of the neighborhood shows narrow streets without shoulders, and a major road nearby.

“I got concerned because it was a busy street,” the neighbor said, describing the boy as moving quickly away and toward a busy intersection. “So I ran down the street, and I caught him, pretty much – I ran into the intersection to catch him. And I got a hold of him, and I tried to calm him down and tell him, ‘it’s going to be OK.'”

Lemon said he then flagged down another person, who called for help.

The home that is the subject of a child abuse case in the area of Cream Hollow Road and Houtz Drive in Blair County, Pennsylvania (WTAJ/YouTube)

When Freedom Township police officers arrived and investigated the home from whence the boy came, they allegedly found a harrowing scene. Officers asked the Zungalis if all of their children were accounted for, to which Zoe Zungali responded in the affirmative before realizing one child had “gotten a window open and crawled outside,” the Altoona Mirror reported, citing an arrest affidavit.

Officers walked into a children’s bedroom and reported seeing drywall ripped off the walls, “exposing electrical wire and insulation, a strong odor of urine, the presence of a baby gate in the doorway with zip ties preventing the door from opening and household items barricading the gate,” the newspaper added. A small child was reportedly found in a crib with “soiled clothing, a soaked diaper and smelling of urine,” and police also found moldy sippy cups and soiled blankets.

A second bedroom, reportedly barricaded by a chair, revealed more.

Authorities, including child safety workers, found “cribs turned into makeshift cages” with small children inside. Feces was also found on the outside of the cribs, the affidavit stated. Officers wrote that “the cribs were zip tied to prevent the children from exiting.”

The children also looked malnourished, police said. When an officer went to McDonald’s to get them Happy Meals and arrived back, they proceeded to “aggressively eat out of hunger,” the Altoona Mirror reported. One child also appeared to be significantly injured, authorities said.

An officer reportedly observed there was “a distended abdomen and purple legs and feet on the youngest child, who is about 2 years old.” The child was brought to a nearby hospital before being transferred to a specialist.

Various pets were also allegedly neglected in the home, with animal feces strewn throughout, and no running water, WTAJ reported. Doorknobs were also removed from the house so the children couldn’t leave.

The kids were reportedly kept in the “makeshift cages” for up to 20 hours a day.

The three suspects are scheduled for preliminary hearings on July 31. The Zungalis are jailed on separate $150,000 bonds, and Bem is being held on a $75,000 bond.

Freedom Township is located in central Pennsylvania, about 200 miles east of Pittsburgh.