CW: Child Abuse
Two parents from Shenandoah, Iowa are in jail after an hours-long investigation revealed that two children in their care had been severely neglected. Fremont County police officers arrested the parents of a 4-year-old with developmental disabilities after the child was discovered alone in Hamburg last Thursday. The boy and another child had been confined to their cribs.
Dustin Carl Lee Perry, 26, and Lindsey Barbara Marie Hamilton, 26, both of Shenandoah, were arrested on accusations of neglect or abandonment of a dependent, a Class C felony in Iowa, and child endangerment, an aggravated misdemeanor. They are still in the Fremont County Jail without bond, awaiting their initial hearing before a judge.
Sheriff Kevin Aistrope said this is one of the worst child abuse cases he’s ever seen. The four year old was seen throwing rocks at passing cars around 9 a.m. Inside the residence, Aistrope said they discovered the grandfather, two other adults, and a 9-year-old all sleeping. They didn’t realize the toddler was outside.
During their investigation, Fremont County deputies discovered that the 4-year-old was able to escape from a homemade cage made of a portable crib with a baby gate zip-tied to the top and leave the house without waking anyone up.
According to deputies, Hamilton and Perry had left the two children in the care of their grandfather. Subsequently, they instructed him to keep the 4-year-old in the “Pack and Play” cage. A second makeshift cage was discovered in the walk-in closet of a Shenandoah home.
The child was filthy, and wearing a dirty diaper. “It’s pretty shocking,” Aistrope said. “You just think of your own kid and think, how can people do that?” Hamilton and Perry were already known to law enforcement. There were also more children in the home. All of the children are now in the custody of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
Unfortunately, abuse of disabled children happens far too often. According to a 2022 study, approximately one-third of disabled children and adolescents have been subjected to violence, which includes physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, as well as neglect. It ranges from being struck or verbally abused by a family member to cyberbullying.
They are also twice as likely to be victims of violence than nondisabled children, according to reports. A large proportion of children are at risk. An estimated 291 million children and adolescents are disabled.
There is no excuse for abusing, neglecting, or killing disabled people. Disabled people’s lives are valuable. I hope the children are taken care of properly in the future.
Sources:
Asma-Sadeque, Samira. “4-Year-Old Found on the Street Escaped ‘Makeshift’ Cage Made of Portable Crib and Zip Ties: Police.” PEOPLE, Dotdash Meredith, 29 July 2024, people.com/child-found-street-allegedly-escaped-makeshift-cage-8685533.
Fang, Zuyi, et al. ‘Global Estimates of Violence against Children with Disabilities: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis’. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, vol. 6, no. 5, Elsevier, May 2022, pp. 313–323, https://doi.org10.1016/S2352-4642(22)00033-5.
Perez, Jessica. “Iowa Parents behind Bars for Allegedly Keeping Child in Makeshift Cage.” KETV, Hearst Television, Inc, 26 July 2024, http://www.ketv.com/article/iowa-parents-arrested-for-allegedly-keeping-child-in-makeshift-cage/61712953.