Left: Brandon Myers. Right: Emily Myers (Woodbury County Sheriff's Office).
An Iowa couple is accused of locking a 13-year-old girl up in a bedroom without food, water or access to a bathroom until she eventually climbed out of a window to get something to eat.
Sioux City couple Brandon Myers and Emily Myers, both 45, are facing felony charges of child endangerment causing injury in connection with the alleged mistreatment.
Court documents obtained by local NBC affiliate KTIV say Sioux City police were called to a South Rustin Street home on Tuesday around 3:35 p.m. after receiving reports that a juvenile was missing. When officers arrived, Brandon and Emily Myers identified themselves as the child's guardians and explained that the juvenile is a girl with autism.
The couple told investigators they had last seen the girl in her bedroom the previous night. They claimed they went to sleep around 4 a.m. and did not check on her again.
Police found the girl nearby and brought her back to the home, the court documents say. She allegedly appeared severely malnourished and dehydrated.
The girl told police she was searching for food and had climbed out of her bedroom window because she was hungry, according to the court documents. She later returned to the house, went into the kitchen to retrieve food and then hid inside a van on the property, where she reportedly "ate as much as she could," the documents say.
Police discovered numerous boxes of snacks inside the vehicle, including bananas and bagels, which the girl said she had eaten.
A search warrant allegedly revealed what authorities described as extreme and neglectful living conditions.
According to the court documents, police found that the child's bedroom had a lock installed on the outside of the door. The door handle had also been installed backward to prevent her from getting out, and screws had been installed in the window frame to keep the window from opening.
Inside the bedroom, police allegedly found a plastic tote containing urine. The room was approximately 10 to 15 degrees warmer than the rest of the house, according to the court documents.
During an interview with police after receiving their Miranda rights, the couple allegedly admitted that they locked the girl inside her bedroom from the outside every night, that they did not provide her food or water, and that she had to use the plastic tote in the room to urinate and defecate.
The child was admitted to a local hospital for medical treatment. Doctors said she weighed 78 pounds.
Brandon and Emily Myers are being held without bond. They are due in court on Aug. 21 for a preliminary hearing.
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