KCUR has learned of the rescue of a 10-year-old girl found locked in a closet and fed through a hole in the door for an extended period of time.
The girl was freed at mid-morning today by Kansas City Police and Firefighters.
Police Captain Steve Young confirmed the discovery of the child in an apartment near 13th and Highland. He called the conditions the girl had endured as “criminal.” Young could not say the child had been held for years, as believed by some of the first responders, because, “it was almost to horrible to contemplate.”
Young said the child’s 29-year-old mother is in custody pending filing of charges. Two other children are also in protective custody. Young said authorities were drawn to the apartment after someone called a hotline operated by Child Protective Services.
Among those first responders who ask not to be identified, one said the 10-year-old girl appeared to be about four years old due to malnutrition.