LONDON, Ont. -- The Ontario couple charged with locking their nephew in a filthy room for up to two years were released from custody on Friday, police said.

The couple, arrested Thursday afternoon in London, Ont., was kept in a jail cell until Friday night, when they were released after agreeing to show up in court July 10.

The couple -- the aunt and uncle of the 10-year-old boy -- both provided statements, which police view as being co-operative.

“No one is compelled to give a statement,” police spokesperson Const. Ken Steeves said Monday.

Police can keep someone charged with a crime in custody until a bail hearing in court, but chose to release the couple which tends to happen when police believe the accused is not a flight risk.

The 10-year-old boy was pale, malnourished and locked alone in a room that reeked of feces and urine when police and child welfare workers rescued him.



A view of the kitchen inside a home in London, Ontario May 30, 2014. According to local media, a 10-year-old boy was found by police and Children's Aid workers in the home. (REUTERS/Geoff Robins)

The boy, who isn’t from Canada, had been a prisoner in that bedroom for up to two years, held captive in the London home by his aunt and uncle, while his cousin -- their nine-year-old daughter -- moved freely, officials allege.

Child welfare workers also went to the daughter’s school to remove her, police said.

Friday, the news spread across Canada after police said they’d charged the London couple with confinement and failing to provide the necessaries of life. The couple’s older son has speculated they were struggling financially because they stopped funding his college education.

The couple owned a variety story before it was sold, than another, but neighbours say the the second venture failed.