KANSAS CITY, Mo (Reuters) - A Missouri woman faces charges of endangering the welfare of her two children, ages 4 and 6, after they were found in a cave, apparently living in a crate among disassembled vehicles, in a suspected illegal “chop shop.”

Brittany Mugrauer, 24, was taken into custody Friday in Kansas City after deputy sheriffs discovered the children while searching the cave as part of investigation into a possible auto parts “chop shop,” which moves stolen parts, the Jackson County prosecutor’s office said.

The barefoot children found in the wooden shipping crate were covered in dirt, had no drinking water and were eating from a cup of dirty dried noodles, the office said Saturday in a probable cause statement.

The 8-by-10-foot crate, with one side missing, contained two automobile bench seats, two small blankets, trash and some thin wires, the statement said.

The crate was at the rear of the cool, damp cave near some disassembled cars and ground soaked with vehicle fluid, the statement said.

The children told investigators they lived in the cave with their mother, had no toys or other clothing and that there was no place to cook.

Mugrauer was not in the cave when detectives found the children alone Thursday and later told them she had been living in the cave for several days, the statement said.

She remained in jail Saturday, and the prosecutor’s office said it will seek a $75,000 bond.

The children were taken to hospital for examination and to get bathed and dressed in clean clothing.