A grandmother and her partner have been charged after keeping her nine-year-old granddaughter padlocked in a dog cage.
U.S. officials said in a statement: 'During the investigation, it was learned that a nine-year-old juvenile was being held in a dog kennel at night and occasionally throughout the day.'
Police obtained a photo of the disturbing scene which reveal that there were blankets inside the cage along with a folded cardboard box.
Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling described the scene: ‘This by far, is one of the most disturbing and heart-wrenching cases of child abuse I’ve seen, it doesn’t get much worse than this.’
MEDIA RELEASE September 7, 2017 TOWN OF NORWAY - On 9/6/17 at approximately 11:51 am the Racine County Sheriff's Office along with Racine County Human Services Department responded to an elementary school in Wind Lake, WI for a Child Abuse investigation. During the investigation, it was learned that a 9-year-old juvenile was being held in a dog kennel at night and occasionally throughout the day at her residence located in the Town of Norway. Additionally, it was learned that the dog kennel was padlocked to prevent the child from escaping. Investigators responded to the residence and located the dog kennel which measured 4ft, 10" in height, 8ft in length, and 4ft in width. The attached image is of the kennel that the victim was confined in. The following two caregivers were taken into custody for Causing Mental Harm to A Child, False Imprisonment and several other felony charges: Gale D. Lalonde 05-27-71 (age 47) from Wind Lake Dale A. Deavers 11-10-68 (age 48) from Wind Lake The victim and another sibling were removed from the residence and placed into protective custody by Racine County Human Services. Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling states, "I was sickened at what I witnessed last night. This by far, is one of the most disturbing and heart-wrenching cases of child abuse I've seen, it doesn't get much worse than this." Sheriff Schmaling has indicated that he will be available for interviews related to this case later this afternoon. Interviews will be held at the Racine County Sheriff Patrol Station located at 14116 Washington Ave. located in Sturtevant WI. Media outlets interested in speaking with the Sheriff should contact him directly at 262-930-7770. The investigation into this matter is on-going. Sheriff Christopher Schmaling
The New York Post reported that the incident first came to the attention of the police after a school contacted them in regards to a child abuse investigation.
The suspects, Gale D. Lalonde, 47, and Dale A. Deavers, 48 were taken into custody for causing mental harm to a child, false imprisonment and other charges.
This article originally appeared on That's Life.