Sheriff: 8 children rescued, woman arrested after 'horrific' abuse discovered at San Antonio home Two of the toddlers were tied up in the backyard, deputies said.

Porucha Phillips is taken from the magistrate's office in an SAPD transport vehicle just after 6 p.m. on April 29, 2016. Porucha Phillips is taken from the magistrate's office in an SAPD transport vehicle just after 6 p.m. on April 29, 2016. Photo: TOM REEL, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS Photo: TOM REEL, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS Image 1 of / 65 Caption Close Sheriff: 8 children rescued, woman arrested after 'horrific' abuse discovered at San Antonio home 1 / 65 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County Sheriff's deputies said a woman arrested Friday in a "horrific" case of child abuse — after discovering eight unattended children, including two crying toddlers tied and chained up in a backyard, at a home on the Northeast Side — is pregnant.

Porucha Phillips, 34, was charged with a third-degree felony count of injury to a child by omission resulting in bodily injury and another resulting in serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday. Bexar County Sheriff's Office spokesman James Keith confirmed late Friday that Phillips is in fact expecting another child.

Saturday afternoon authorities released the booking photo of Phillips.

Investigators believe Phillips is the mother of the six unattended children — ranging in age from 10 months to 13 years old — found inside the home at 8105 Chipping Drive.

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Investigators allege Phillips was also responsible for the care of the 3-year-old girl who was found tied to a door with a leash and a 2-year-old boy who was chained up in the back yard, although the exact nature of their relationship is still unclear.

Deputies were initially dispatched to the home after an area resident called around 11:45 p.m. Thursday to report possible child abuse, Keith said.

The caller told deputies they could hear a child that had been crying in the home's backyard for some time, Keith said. Deputies arrived shortly after and knocked on the front door of the house, but no one answered.

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When the first responders grabbed a ladder to look into the backyard, they saw a 2-year-old boy chained to the ground, and a 3-year-old girl tied to a door with a dog leash.

"It's sickening," Keith said. "To call this horrific would be an understatement. If it wasn't for our deputies and this caller who tipped us off, we know that this could have had an even worse outcome."

Deputies went into the yard and freed the children, who were taken to an area hospital to be checked out. Keith said the girl had a broken arm and was taken to an intensive care unit.

Authorities made their way into the home and found the six additional children inside. While investigators were still at the scene, Phillips and the father of the children showed up at the house and were detained by police.

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The father of the six children has not yet been charged. Keith said investigators believe the man was at work during the incident, and that he is still being questioned Thursday afternoon.

Keith said investigators are actively searching for the parents of the two children bound in the back yard. All eight children are now in the care of Child Protective Services.

The home is owned by Pho Han D Family Limited Partnership, which owns at least two dozen other properties in Bexar County, according to appraisal district records. Calls placed to numbers associated with the partnership and properties were either not answered or the line has been disconnected.

The home is one of three side-by-side units that comprise a townhome and it has burglar bars covering the front windows and posters blocking views inside.

On Friday, the scene was quiet. No police or crime-scene tape were visible around the house.

"They didn't come out much," said area resident Chris Tippery. "They keep (the kids) in the house for the most part.

"Sometimes you would see them outside in their diapers ... they seemed like all right people," he said.

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In fiscal year 2015, there were 4,941 confirmed child victims of abuse or neglect in Bexar County. Four children died from maltreatment.

Deborah North, who heads the foster-adoption program for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said 119 children were forced to sleep in DFPS offices across the state from March 2014 to March 2016, owing to a lack of foster homes.

In the region that includes Bexar County, 17 children had to sleep in state offices during that time period, she said.

Last year, more than 5,400 children were removed from their homes in the county — the highest removal rate in Texas, said Anais Biera Miracle, a spokeswoman for the Children's Shelter in San Antonio.

Last year, about 1,500 children entered foster care in Bexar County, fewer than 2014, when it was about 1,800.

“We will dedicate every ounce of energy to making sure that those responsible are held accountable and that these children are never harmed again,” Keith said.

Anyone with information on the children or their parents is asked to call the BCSO Tip Line at 210-335-TIPS.

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Staff writers Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje and Jacob Beltran and news researchers Michael Knoop and Misty Harris contributed to this report.

mdwilson@express-news.net

Twitter: @MDWilsonSA