A Minnesota couple who put their four children in cages for “their safety” have been sentenced to four years in prison.
In June 2023, Benjamin Taylor Cotton, aged 42, and Christina Ann Cotton faced a total of 16 charges, which included child torture, endangerment, neglect, and malicious punishment, as reported by ABC 5-KSTP. As part of a plea agreement, both individuals admitted guilt to one count of child torture.
A report to Goodhue County Health and Human Services sparked the investigation. According to court documents, the call claimed that the children were being ignored and kept in cages, as reported by the TV station.
When the investigator and social worker reached the residence the next morning, Christina Cotton became visibly upset upon learning about the report. She claimed that the children were being “locked up for their own safety,” as reported by ABC 5-KSTP.
According to CBS News, investigators discovered a distressing scene where a playpen had been covered with a dog gate, trapping a child who was almost 3 years old. Additionally, they uncovered a bunk bed that had been converted into a makeshift cage, complete with a “homemade wooden door.” Inside the bottom bunk, they found a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old.
According to Honk News, the bunk bed cage contained a mattress, blankets, and a “puke bowl.”
A CBS report revealed that a 9-year-old child was discovered in a basement bedroom without any signs of being confined.
The children were removed from their home and evaluated. According to CBS, all had bruises, and the youngest was wearing a duct-taped diaper. One child informed investigators that they had been struck with a belt for not completing tasks and that their hands were occasionally tied behind their backs with duct tape.