Philadelphia police find naked 6-year-old boy locked in dog cage inside home

PHILADELPHIA — A mother is being questioned after police found a naked 6-year-old boy locked inside a cage in a Philadelphia home.

The horrifying discovery was made Thursday afternoon in the city’s Tacony neighborhood.

Officers first responded to the scene on a report from neighbors of two young girls half-dressed in the rain outside a home on the 4200 block of Glenview Street.

When police made their way inside the residence, they found a 6-year-old boy nude inside a locked dog cage with a blanket and pillow.

“When officers arrived at one of the houses on the block they saw two girls, ages four and five, that were partially dressed outside in the rain. The officers were able to pick them up and gain entry inside the property. Once they got in there they came upon a 6-year-old boy that was locked inside of a dog cage,” said Sgt. Eric Gripp with the Philadelphia Police Department.

WPVI has learned that the children are related.

Police say there were also two adults inside the home at the time: an elderly woman in a wheelchair and a man in his 40s. Neighbors describe that man as an uncle of the children who is mentally handicapped.

One neighbor says the Department of Human Services has been to the home before. The department declined comment, citing confidentiality laws.

An investigation is still underway.

Investigators don’t want to speculate yet on what charges, if any, will come from this situation as they’re still interviewing the children’s mother.