Inset top to bottom: Sara Tudor and Michael Brown (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation). Background: the Garvin County Sheriff’s Office headquarters in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma (Google Maps).
Two Oklahoma parents allegedly confined one child in a wooden box and another in a playpen for extended periods, while failing to provide proper food, bathing or basic care, authorities said.
Sara Tudor, 46, and Michael Brown, 43, each face three counts of child neglect, according to the District 21 District Attorney’s Office in Oklahoma, which announced the charges. Both were booked into the Garvin County Jail.
The investigation began July 27, when a Garvin County schoolteacher contacted the Oklahoma Department of Human Services about three children, ages 9, 8 and 4. The teacher told officials she “was concerned for their well-being,” according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
The District Attorney’s Office was notified, and on July 31 requested that the OSBI investigate the children’s circumstances.
OSBI agents subsequently identified Tudor and Brown as the children’s parents and began examining the allegations.
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Human Services officials “learned that one of the children was confined to a wooden box and the other was confined to a playpen for at least 20 hours,” authorities said. Officials also reported that the children were not properly fed and did not receive showers or baths.
The children were later removed from the home and placed with foster families. After undergoing medical evaluations, professionals determined that “each suffered from psychological abuse due to confinement and infantilization.”
Authorities also said the children experienced abuse linked to inadequate physical care and hazardous living conditions.
Tudor and Brown were arrested Oct. 8. It was not immediately clear when they would appear in court.
Garvin County is in south-central Oklahoma, roughly 60 miles south of Oklahoma City.