(Sidney, Iowa) – Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope, Thursday night, said two people were taken into custody on felony charges of Neglect or Abandonment of a Dependent Person, and Aggravated Misdemeanor charges of Child Endangerment. 26-year-old Dustin Carl Lee Perry, and 26-year-old Lindsey Barbara Marie Hamilton, both of Shenandoah, were being held without bond in the Fremont County Jail, pending an initial appearance before a Magistrate Judge. Additional charges are pending.

Their arrests followed an investigation into a report the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office received at around 8:55-a.m. Thursday, about a small child who was standing alone, near the roadway in the 1700 block of Washington Street, in Hamburg. Deputies discovered a 4-year-old child, with reported developmental disabilities, covered in filth and a mixture of both human and animal feces outside the residence. Deputies located another child inside the home. Both children were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation.

Deputies allege that the boy’s parents, Dustin Perry and Lindsey Hamilton, left the children in the care of relatives with the direction to keep the 4-year-old in a makeshift cage. Deputies located the cage in the home constructed out of a pack and play, a baby gate roof, and zip ties. Deputies allege that the child was able to escape from the device and left the home without waking the occupants. Deputies discovered a second homemade cage where it is alleged that the child was kept in a walk-in closet in a home in Shenandoah, Iowa.

Hamburg Rescue, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, and the Shenandoah Police Department assisted with the investigation.

Disclaimer: A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.