Adoptive parents accused of locking up kids without food and water
TUCSON, Arizona -- Two adoptive parents from Arizona have been arrested on charges of child abuse.
Pima County authorities say the four children, ages 6 to 12, in their care had limited access to food, water and light.
Deputies say the children were kept in separate bedrooms, which were locked from the outside, with no access to food, water, lights, or bathroom facilities for up to 12 hours at a time on a regular basis. One bedroom had only a bucket as a toilet.
One of the children escaped through a bedroom window and went to a local business, asking to use a telephone.
The clerk, noting the age and disheveled condition of the child, called 911. The children were immediately removed from the home.
Benito, 69, and Carol Gutierrez, 64, were arrested and each charged with three counts of child abuse.
CHILDREN HELD CAPTIVE:
In January, a California couple was arrested on accusations they tortured a dozen of their children for years, starving them to the point that their growth was stunted, chaining them to their beds for up to months, preventing them from using the toilet at times and forbidding them from showering more than once a year.
