Fremont County parents accused of keeping child in makeshift cage, sheriff says

FREMONT COUNTY, Iowa — Two people have been accused of keeping their child in a makeshift cage, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday.

At around 8:53 a.m. the sheriff’s office responded to a report of a small child wandering around alone near the road in the 1700 block of Washington Street in Hamburg. When deputies arrived on scene they found a 4-year-old with reported developmental disabilities covered in a mixture of human and animal feces outside of a residence, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies conducted a search of the residence and found a second child inside.

According to the sheriff’s office, when deputies searched the home they located a cage inside that appeared to be “constructed out of a pack and play, a baby proof gate roof, and zip ties.” Deputies also located a second makeshift cage that was allegedly used in another home in Shenandoah.

The sheriff’s office said during the investigation the office learned that the parents, 26-year-old Dustin Carl Lee Perry and 26-year-old Lindsey Barbara Marie Hamilton, allegedly instructed relatives watching the children to keep the 4-year-old in a cage.

Both children were removed from the home and taken to a hospital for evaluation. The sheriff’s office said several children were removed from the home by DHS.

Perry and Hamilton are being held at the Fremont County Jail without bond on charges of neglect or abandonment of a dependent person and child endangerment. The sheriff’s office said more charges are pending.

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