13-year-old found padlocked in makeshift cell in Kearns home, 2 arrested

KEARNS, Utah ( ABC4 ) — Two people were taken into custody on Tuesday, Aug. 27, after Unified Police officers found a 13-year-old child padlocked in what detectives describe as a makeshift cell in an alcove under the stairs of a Kearns home.

Travis Stacey Peterson, 49, and Melissa Ann Gray, 41, were both booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on charges of aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony. Gray also faces an additional misdemeanor of child abuse with an injury charge.

Investigators say the child had been locked in the cell under the stairs for about 24 hours by the time officers arrived at the home. The child reportedly told officers they were hungry, lonely, and had to sleep curled up in their makeshift cell.

The victim was also at one point allegedly spanked by Gray for screaming inside the house.

Before being moved to under the stairs, the child was allegedly locked in a makeshift cell made out of their loft bed. The child told investigators they were locked under the loft bed for months and were only let out when they had to use the restroom.

“[The victim] talked about a time when [they were] desperate to get out of the cell to use the restroom,” a police affidavit states. “[The victim] was able to break out of the cell and use the bathroom because no one was responding to [their] pleas to get out.”

Both Peterson and Gray allegedly told officers they did not believe there was anything wrong with locking the child in a cell. Gray allegedly said she wanted the child to know what it was like in a city and in the real world while Peterson reportedly said the child would be put back in the cell if returned to the home.

Peterson and Gray have been ordered to be held in the Salt Lake County Jail without bail, pending a pretrial hearing.

Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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