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Authorities have apprehended a couple from Wisconsin on charges of subjecting their six children to years of starvation and maltreatment, compelling them to consume mold, insects, and dog food while enduring ongoing abuse.
Casey Cano, aged 38, and Mary Cano, aged 35, are facing serious legal repercussions. They have been charged with six counts each of repeated physical abuse of a child resulting in great bodily harm and child neglect. Additionally, they face one count of causing a child under 13 to witness or hear a sexual act, as per court documents.
According to prosecutors, between January 2018 and April 2022, the Canos allegedly inflicted physical harm on their children, using belts to beat them, which left welts and caused bleeding. This appalling treatment reportedly took place in their Crawford County residence in Wisconsin, as detailed by News 8 Now.
Moreover, it is alleged that the couple deprived their children of food as a form of punishment, adding another layer to the disturbing claims of abuse.
These allegations paint a grim picture of the couple’s actions, highlighting an environment of neglect and cruelty that persisted for several years.
The children described abusive living conditions and were allegedly prevented from eating for several days, driving them to eat mold, bugs, dog food and grass due to extreme hunger, according to the criminal complaints.
One of the children said their sibling wore a diaper for three days without changing as “punishment,” News 8 Now reported.
The children were removed from the home around April 2022 in connection with a separate sexual abuse case involving another child, the complaints state.
Casey Cano is accused of starving and abusing his children for years, authorities said. (Crawford County Jail)
ABC affiliate WXOW reported that the children were between the ages of 1 and 9 during the alleged abuse.
The outlet added that the alleged beatings began when the children were as young as three months old.
The charges show that Mary Cano’s charges have a “party to a crime” modifier, indicating that she did not stop the alleged criminal activity.
Casey and Mary were previously convicted of the sexual assault of a 12-year-old in 2022, WXOW reported.
Mary Cano faces charges in an alleged yearslong child abuse case in Wisconsin, authorities said. (Crawford County Jail)
A new investigation into the couple began last December, and both individuals were arrested in March and have posted bond.
The couple’s next court appearance has not been scheduled.
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