The parents of an 11-year-old boy with autism so severe he cannot speak were arrested after police allegedly found him living in a dog kennel inside a home in Anaheim, authorities said Wednesday.
Loi Vu, 40, (left) and Tracy Trang Le, 35, were booked on suspicion of felony child endangerment and false imprisonment. (Credit: Anaheim Police Department)
Officers were called to a residence in the 1300 block of Garrett Street (map) at about 6:15 p.m. Tuesday to help Child Protective Services investigators who had received a tip that a young boy was living inside a cage, according to Lt. Bob Dunn with the Anaheim Police Department.
After talking with the parents, officers went inside the home and discovered a fairly large cage, described as a "large dog kennel" containing a mattress, the Police Department stated in a news release.
It appeared the parents had been keeping their son inside it, possibly because the boy was prone to violent outbursts, Dunn said. He emphasized the investigation was in its preliminary stages.
An 11-year-old boy was removed from a home and placed into Child Protective Services after he was allegedly found living in a cage. (Credit: OnScene TV)
“Perhaps, as a part of his autism, he would have outbursts on occasion. As he’s grown older, the parents had difficulty adapting to these outburst and controlling them," Dunn said.
"Putting him in that cage may have been a way for them to try to, in their way, control what was going on," he said.
The boy appeared clean and to have been well cared for otherwise, and did not have any visible injuries, according to Dunn.
Investigators removed the "kennel" from the home on July 1, 2014. (Credit: OnScene TV)
The parents -- identified as Tracy Trang Le, 35, and Loi Vu, 40 -- have been arrested and booked on suspicion of felony child endangerment and false imprisonment, Dunn said.
A neighbor said the family seemed normal and caring, and that the boy appeared in good health.
"He appeared to look fine. He didn’t look to be abused or anything," neighbor Bob Emerson said. "That’s why the whole idea of the cage is hard for me to understand — why he would need to be in a cage?"
It was not immediately clear how long the boy had allegedly been kept in the cage, which Dunn described as approximately 4 1/2 feet long and 6 feet tall.
The child's autism is so severe that he is "unable to communicate at all," Dunn said. Police planned to consult doctors to see if there was a way the boy could share his experience.
The boy was taken into protective custody, as were both of his siblings, according to Dunn.
“In this particular case, placing your child in a cage to try and control some behavior may not have been the best course of action... and out of this may come soon good," he said. "Maybe this family will get some of the assistance that they need."
As an investigation into the incident continued, police said they would be interviewing other people who lived in the home, including family members and another family who rented a room out of the house.
Child Protective Services was also investigating the boy's living conditions.
The parents speak Vietnamese and limited English, Dunn said; a translator assisted in the police investigation.
Another family rents a home at the house; they were out of town during the arrests, Dunn said.
KTLA's Justin Burton, Chip Yost and Melissa Pamer contributed to this report.
mark
who cares…they eat dogs an s**t, whats tha difference?…maybe his name is REX or OLD YELLER!….RUFF RUFF!
PHAN
wow really??? talk about racist, you dumb f***
Hornedone
No Phan…It’s not an ignorant comment. In Asian cultures Dog is a delicacy. In some cultures humans eat humans.
Carlos
Ignorance at its finest.
jonathan berg
Dumb f***. People like you make society look like s***. Hope your kids wont grow up to be an as* like you. Curse you and hope u di* in hel*.
To Racist KKK Mark.
My message is made. Period. No apology will be made.
Nammer
Hey everyone it’s ‘Murica’s finest inbred, trailer park trash.
Mark's Uncle
He also got sodomized by his priest and uncle and enjoy a nice homestyle road-kill. Go eat a possum, Mark.
Susan Webber
My heart goes out to this family, I hope that they are offered the support that they clearly need.
Mi Ton
Unbelievable, wonder how come they did it on their biological child? Dump parents!
Mi Ton
***Dumb
Anon
Da faq is dis? D:<
Catherine Turley
when people don’t have access to resources, what are they supposed to do? the child probably runs away frequently, which is incredibly dangerous. if they lock him in his room, he probably goes out the window. this was likely all they could think of to keep him safe.
Dawn Marie
@Catherine: Don’t you think window locks are an idea? Door locks? You simply do not cage a child in a dog cage or any cage!!!! There are other options because no matter how much at the end of the rope these parents were, you simply do not cage your child. EVER. Yes I have a child with Autism so do not make an arrogant remark.
true-grit
Really Dawn! Your comment was more than arrogant enough! You do not know their situation at all and yet you make comments like you know it all. Quite arrogant indeed!
Uni Pix
ignorance is bliss
Fallon F
I agree with you dawn Marie
jelanismom
Thank you
Teresa
I find the language,tone and info in this article/video offensive to people with autism.
Cora Mason Atkinson
They look like sister and brother.
Joe Harris
That’s not right
Sarina Ontiveros
THIS COUPLE WORKS AS OB/GYN DOCTORS IN SANTA MARIA CALIFORNIA….SADTO HEAR WHEN I HAVE A SON THAT IS 14 WITH AUTISM AND BEEN THROUGH IT ALL….
Hornedone
Some very powerful,wealthy. Usualy white middle age males(mostly lawyers,CEO’s). Will pay anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 a night to have a dominatrix keep them in a cage like that. Some like to wear a diaper. Plus you can’t forget the dog bowl. Yes ladies think about it. If your hot or even simi hot. Let your imagination go wild. All you need is a cage,some high heels maybe some latex. And you in business girlfriend!!
ccdaddy57
There is a media blackout, of very severe cases of real Autism, The media on this issue, is as lost as blind man in a snowstorm.
jelanismom
Exactly