Mother arrested after keeping toddler in 'makeshift cage'

A mother was arrested for child endangerment after her 2-year-old son was found inside a cage in their house.

In a May 16 release, police said that the 24-year-old parent named Naesha Lumpkin in New York is now facing charges after they discovered the latter's child in a makeshift cage placed in a separate bedroom in February, preventing him from standing and leaving it. 

"There was remains of food inside there. Bones from chicken wings. Bones or some sort of chicken bones. So I mean, it was something where you look at it and it was disgusting," police officer James O'Callaghan said in an interview with news outlet WKBW-TV.

Some parts of it were also covered in human feces, he added.

The toddler was brought to the Erie County Child Protective Services and was transferred to Oishei's Children's Hospital for medical assistance.

He was "found to have bruising on his face and body" in medical evaluations. He also had two fractured ribs "in the healing stage," which meant they only "occurred 10 days to two weeks ago," according to authorities.

"When Lumpkin was interviewed regarding the injuries to the 2-year-old she stated the child fell down the stairs sometime late December 2023, early January 2024," police said. "Lumpkin went on to explain the child was crying as a result of the incident, but Naesha did not seek professional medical assistance."

The Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Erie County District Attorney's Office are working together to handle the case. Police said no updated charges will be filed for now.