Parents arrested after three children in California were forced to live in a box for years, deputies say

Barrett Newkirk | The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun

Show Caption Hide Caption In Joshua Tree, three kids found living in a plywood box San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputies arrested a pair of parents this week after finding their three children living in a plywood box, surrounded by trash, cats and feces, with no access to electricity or running water.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — A couple in California kept their three children malnourished and living in a room-sized box for the past four years, authorities say.

While conducting an area check Wednesday morning in Joshua Tree, deputies noticed a travel trailer that appeared to be abandoned and a large rectangular box made of plywood.

The property had no electricity or running water, and deputies noticed several holes, mounds of trash and human feces, and between 30 and 40 cats, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a news release Thursday.

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Three children, ages 11, 13 and 14, were found at the property. Deputies determined that for about four years the children had been living in a box that was about 20 feet long, 10 feet wide and 4 feet high. The children did not have enough food and were living in unsafe conditions, the release said.

Children and Family Service responded to the property and took custody of the three children.

The parents, Daniel Panico, 73, and Mona Kirk, 51, were arrested and booked into the Morongo Basin Jail on charges of willful cruelty to a child. Their bail was set at $100,000.