Prosecutors say three young children in rural Pennsylvania are lucky to be alive after police recently rescued them from a locked room in their home where they\u2019d allegedly been kept for three months \u2014 wasting away \u2014 with no heat and little food.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe door to the room was locked from the outside and the paint on the wall was peeled off at the height of the kids,\u201d Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico tells PEOPLE. \u201cWe theorize they\u2019d been peeling it off in order to eat it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a horrific case that almost led to the death of three children,\u201d Marsico says.<\/p>\n
The children \u2014 ages 4, 5 and 6 \u2014 were taken from the home of Brandi and Joshua Weyant in Halifax Township, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 16 and rushed to a nearby hospital.<\/p>\n
Two of the siblings were days away from death, authorities say.<\/p>\n
The Weyants are being held in jail on $1 million bail and are charged with aggravated assault, conspiracy, false imprisonment, unlawful restraint and child endangerment.<\/p>\n
The couple\u2019s court-appointed attorney did not return phone calls from PEOPLE.<\/p>\n
All three of the children were severely malnourished, underweight and, according to the court documents, their skin was covered with urine, feces, animal hair and dirt.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were allowed to essentially waste away in a locked room without any nourishment while, at the same time, animals in the house were well fed,\u201d says Marsico, who adds that the couple is looking at \u201cyears in prison\u201d if convicted of the charges against them.<\/p>\n
Authorities first became aware of the situation at the couple\u2019s home after a social services worker visited the residence on Dec. 15 to check in on an occupant in the house. Marsico says that when the worker spotted one of the children, they immediately sensed something was wrong and the police were contacted.<\/p>\n
Brandi, 38, allegedly blamed the abuse on her husband, according to court documents. She told investigators that no one besides she and Joshua had seen the children since this summer, the documents allege \u2014 explaining that \u201cshe couldn\u2019t leave the house with them \u201d once they \u201cbegan to look as they do now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brandi also allegedly told caseworkers that she didn\u2019t believe any of the children are \u201cbiologically\u201d related to her or her husband, even though they have their last name.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice are currently trying to determine who the parents are,\u201d Marsico says.<\/p>\n
When questioned by investigators, Joshua, 33, allegedly displayed \u201cno emotion of any kind\u201d after being shown photographs of the malnourished kids, according to the criminal complaint, insisting simply that he \u201cdidn\u2019t want the children overfed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple\u2019s next court date has yet to be scheduled. It was not immediately clear if they have entered a plea to their charges.<\/p>\n
The children, who are now being cared for by a foster parent who is a nurse, were eventually released from the hospital, but one of them had to be rushed back to the facility in order to receive further treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey still have a way to go medically, physically and who knows what the developmental impacts will be on them,\u201d Marsico says. \u201cThey\u2019re young kids, but they\u2019re old enough to know the hell they were put through.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Prosecutors say three young children in rural Pennsylvania are lucky to be alive after police recently rescued them from a locked room in their home where they\u2019d allegedly been kept for three months \u2014 wasting away \u2014 with no heat and little food. \u201cThe door to the room was locked from the outside and the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5447,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[38],"tags":[780],"yoast_head":"\n