The barn was "crudely fashioned" into living quarters, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said, adding that all the children were hungry and thirsty around 7:20 a.m. when deputies responding to a domestic disturbance found them on the property near Rhome, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Fort Worth.
"There was plenty of food inside the barn, but the refrigerator and the cabinets had been locked so the kids could not get in to get food," Akin said. There were three boys, ages 5, 3 and 1, and a 4-year-old girl, he said.
The oldest two were locked in the cage that was just 3-by-3 feet (90-by-90 centimeters), and the other two were filthy and only partially clothed, Akin said.
Andrew Joseph Fabila and Paige Isabow Harkings, both 24, were each charged with four counts of criminal child endangerment, Wise County jail records showed. Harkings also was charged with aggravated assault.
The children were taken to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth for evaluation. A hospital spokeswoman declined to disclose their conditions.
Deputies were speaking with a man and a woman, both 24, when they heard children's voices coming from the barn, Akin said.
Also read- Pot smokers find caged tiger in abandoned house
(With inputs from APTN)
