KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two children were found Thursday in a cave living inside of a 10 foot by eight foot crate.
Deputies found the children while serving a search warrant in a stolen car parts investigation.
According to court documents the mother, Brittany Mugrauer, left the four and six-year-old alone to seek medical treatment for her boyfriend who had smashed his finger.
The six-year-old child was dressed in a t-shirt and nylon pants and barefoot. The four-year-old was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and was also barefoot. According to investigators both children were covered in dirt and filth from head to foot.
The children told investigators that they lived in the cave with their mother. They also said that they had no toys at the cave, no other clothing, no shoes and that there was no water or place to cook. The four-year-old child was eating dry Ramen noodles from a cup that had dirt in it with the noodles. The children were taken to hospital, evaluated, bathed and given clean clothes.
Investigators contacted the mother by phone and she said that her children had been living in the cave for “several days.” She also stated that she had left them in the cave without a parent present.
She was taken into custody on Friday afternoon and charged with two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Prosecutors have requested a bond of $75,000.
