Inset top to bottom: Sara Tudor and Michael Brown (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation). Background: The headquarters of the Garvin County Sheriff's Office in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma (Google Maps).
Two parents in Oklahoma are accused of keeping one of their children in a wooden box and another in a playpen for hours on end, while also refusing to clean the children.
Sara Tudor, 46, and Michael Brown, 43, are each charged with three counts of child neglect, the District 21 District Attorney's Office in Oklahoma announced. They were each booked into the Garvin County Jail.
On July 27, a schoolteacher in Garvin County, Oklahoma, contacted the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) about three children — ages 9, 8 and 4. According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), the teacher told state officials that she "was concerned for their well-being."
The DA's office was apprised of the situation, and on July 31, it asked OSBI to investigate what was happening to the children.
Agents began investigating, and they identified the children's parents as Tudor and Brown.
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. "They also learned the children were not fed properly and did not receive showers or baths."
State officials later removed the children from the home and placed them with foster families. The children were medically evaluated, with professionals determining that "each suffered from psychological abuse due to confinement and infantilization."
Furthermore, the children "suffered from abuse due to the inadequate physical care and hazardous living conditions," authorities said.
On Oct. 8, Tudor and Brown were arrested. It is unclear when they are due to appear in court.
Garvin County is located in south-central Oklahoma, about 60 miles south of Oklahoma City.