Iowa Parents Allegedly Confined Autistic Son in Filthy "Makeshift Cage

A pair of Iowa parents have been arrested and charged with child endangerment and neglect after deputies discovered their four-year-old son with developmental disabilities locked in a makeshift cage covered in filth. The child escaped the cage and was found alone outside a home in Hamburg, Iowa.

A pair of Iowa parents have been charged with child endangerment and neglect after deputies found their four-year-old son with developmental disabilities alone and covered in filth outside a home in Hamburg, Iowa.

Dustin Carl Lee Perry and Lindsey Barbara Marie Hamilton, both 26, were charged with neglect or abandonment of a dependent and child endangerment. They were booked into the Fremont County Jail without bond. Additional charges are pending.

Iowa Parents Allegedly Confined Autistic Son in Filthy "Makeshift Cage

The two parents were arrested after deputies responded to a call at about 9 a.m. Thursday morning. They found the four-year-old boy outside a home, covered in filth and a mixture of both human and animal feces.

Another child was found inside the property, and both children were transported to a hospital for evaluation.

Iowa Parents Allegedly Confined Autistic Son in Filthy "Makeshift Cage

Perry and Hamilton, both of Shenandoah, Iowa, had left their children with relatives, who they told to keep the four-year-old in the makeshift cage.

The cage, which deputies found in the home, was made out of a pack and play, a baby gate roof, and zip ties.

Iowa Parents Allegedly Confined Autistic Son in Filthy "Makeshift Cage

Deputies said that the child managed to escape the cage and left the home without waking anyone up.

A second homemade cage was found in the parents' home in Shenandoah, where the child was allegedly kept in a walk-in closet.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services removed several children from the home in Hamburg.

The Fremont County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that the investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending.

* The four-year-old boy has developmental disabilities.

* The parents had left their children with relatives and instructed that the four-year-old must be kept in the makeshift cage.

* The child managed to escape the cage and left the home without waking anyone up.

* A second homemade cage was found in the parents' home in Shenandoah.

* The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services removed several children from the home in Hamburg.

* The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending.