Eleven children ranging in age from one to 14-years-old were found in homemade cages in Wakeman, Ohio yesterday.
The children, who were all adopted by Michael and Sharon Gravelle, had conditions such as autism and fetal alcohol syndrome. The Gravelles denied in a custody hearing that they had abused the children.
According to washingtonpost.com, the Gravelles said a psychiatrist recommended that they make the children sleep in the cages, Huron County Prosecutor Russell Leffler told the Norwalk Reflector.
The parents said the children needed to be protected from one another, according to a search warrant on file in Norwalk Municipal Court.
The children, who appeared to be well dressed and well fed, slept in cages painted in different primary colors.
