Couple accused of making kids live in plywood box for 4 years

[Stuart G]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by DonViejo (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: New York Post

March 1, 2018
A California couple is being held on child cruelty charges for making their three kids live in a plywood box for the past four years, according to officials.

Mona Kirk, 51, and Daniel Panico, 73, were arrested Thursday by San Bernardino County sheriffs deputies and booked in the Morongo Basin Jail.

Cops stumbled upon their childrens sickening living conditions during a property check in Joshua Tree, which is about 130 miles east of LA.

Officials said the box was found near an abandoned travel trailer. Inside the trailer, deputies discovered around 30-40 cats roaming freely, along with mounds of trash and feces, from both humans and feline.


Read more: https://nypost.com/2018/03/01/couple-accused-of-making-kids-live-in-plywood-box-for-4-years/

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Worst I have ever seen or heard of. Hit the link, and you can see the "box." Warning: It is very ugly and unbelievable!

[pnwmom]

1. The Turpins were much worse.Here's another article that says the mother was also sleeping in the box

Last edited Fri Mar 2, 2018, 01:12 PM - Edit history (1)

and the father slept in the trailer or his car. Also, according to the second article, the children weren't locked in. They WERE being neglected, but no one was chained to a bed.

Clearly the whole family was in a horrendous living situation, but I wonder about mental illness or disability on the parents part.

https://www.sbsun.com/2018/03/01/parents-of-3-children-found-living-in-large-wooden-box-in-joshua-tree-arrested/


The mother, Mona Kirk, 51, slept in the box with her children, while the father, Daniel Panico, 73, lived in the trailer or a vehicle, said Cindy Bachman, a Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, in an email. It’s not known where the children were living prior to living in the box.

The box was a shelter fabricated out of scrap wood and other material, Bachman said. A tarp on top of the wooden structure kept the rain out, but there was no heat, running water, electricity or bathrooms.

Photos of the location show old furniture, broken children’s toys, storage containers and other assorted junk strewn about the property.

Bachman said she doesn’t believe the children were regularly attending school. They were not being locked in or held captive in the box.

https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2018/03/01/three-joshua-tree-children-found-living-boxparents-arrested-keeping-their-three-children-box-past-fo/387523002/

The father owned the land and the trailer and talked about building his dream home on the property, Reynolds said.

“He was a regular retired guy, and an intelligent man,” Reynolds said.

Several of his neighbors live “off the grid” so the family not having electricity or running water didn’t strike Reynolds as odd.

The children seemed healthy and happy, Reynolds added. He noted he never saw any cats wandering around.

He also suggested people wait for more information before passing judgment on the family.

Reynolds believes the father kept the family from being homeless by building their home himself.

[iluvtennis]

2. I was feeling empathy for them until I read this in the article...

The victims’ grandparents later claimed that the Turpins had forced their kids to live in filth and squalor because “God called on them” to do so.

I'm a Christian, so I know God didn't call on them to do this. Lock. Them. Up.

[DonViejo]

3. Locking....

The New York Post is not a reputable mainstream media news site/blog for LBN purposes

Please post this in the General Discussions Forum