The discovery of the Pennsylvania boy led to the arrest of three individuals, per local authorities
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NEED TO KNOW
- A boy, 5, was found walking naked and alone after he escaped a home filled with trash, flies, and severe hoarding conditions, according to police
- Three adults were arrested and charged with felony child endangerment
- Authorities alleged that the child’s room was barricaded with zip ties and wood, with feces and trash throughout the space
A 5-year-old boy was found naked and alone, walking in the middle of a Pennsylvania road after escaping a home with “hoarder conditions,” authorities said.
At around 7:30 a.m. on Friday, July 10, troopers from Pennsylvania State Police’s Jonestown station responded to Quarry Road and South Lancaster Street for reports of a “male child found naked walking in the middle of the road,” according to a public information release report.
Upon their arrival, troopers met with good Samaritans who held the child until first responders arrived.
After the young boy was transported to WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital for a medical evaluation, troopers identified a nearby residence on Poplar Street as the place where he escaped from.
“Hoarder conditions were observed throughout the house, with trash throughout, hundreds of flies observed, and limited room for maneuvering the house because of the influx of clutter,” the public information release report said.
One room had a baby gate affixed to the outside of the door frame, held together with numerous zip ties and duct tape, police said. It was later identified as the child’s bedroom.
Jade Shuey, 21, one of three individuals who were arrested following the child’s discovery, said that the young boy was usually fed through the gate and occasionally went longer than a week without a bath, WGAL reported, citing an affidavit.
The suspects bought zip ties in bulk due to about five to 10 zip ties being cut open every time the child was taken out of the room, the affidavit alleged, according to WGAL.
Above the baby gate, police said there were “miscellaneous wood boards drilled into the outside of the door frame to prevent the male child from escaping the bedroom.”
“Feces was observed to be smeared on the walls, feces smeared on the bedroom window, a bed was observed to be torn apart with food all over it, trash was observed on the floor, hundreds of flies flying around the bedroom and the residence, along with various children’s toys scattered throughout,” per the public information release report.
The findings led to the arrest of Shuey, Tucker Heagy, 20, and Stephanie Schaffner, 42, who were charged with felony endangering the welfare of children.
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The three suspects have not made bail and remain in custody, according to court records reviewed by PEOPLE. A preliminary hearing for all three is set for Thursday, July 23, according to online records.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Pennsylvania State Police and the Lebanon County District Attorney’s Office for comment.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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