Milwaukee parents charged after children locked in padlocked storage unit, kept in car with family dog
Two parents were arraigned on multiple counts of child neglect after bystanders heard a child crying from a padlocked storage unit; investigators described the conditions as dire and unsanitary.
Two Milwaukee parents were charged with six counts of child neglect after police found six children ages 9 years to 2 months locked inside a padlocked storage unit while the couple slept in their SUV with the family dog, authorities said.
The discovery occurred around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday when a bystander heard the children crying and called 911, Milwaukee police said. Firefighters opened the unit and found the children sleeping on a mattress and a couch, with no electricity or running water and a bucket of urine, according to police and local reports.
The six children, ranging from 9 years old to a 2-month-old infant, were described as being forced to sleep on a bare mattress and a couch in a dark, unlit space with no electricity or running water. One child told investigators they were not supposed to be loud, and a 5-year-old girl provided a heartbreaking account of attempting to open the door, noting that she and her siblings had to urinate and defecate in a bucket, sometimes using a bag, according to court filings.
Police said a bystander who heard the cries contacted authorities, prompting the response that led to the padlock being removed and the children being taken to safety. Investigators located the parents nearby, sleeping in the family’s SUV with their dog, police records indicate. The family has said they were staying in sight of a local homeless shelter but had moved on about a month earlier, though they acknowledged they could have left the children with friends or family instead of locking them inside the unit, according to police and local outlets.
The parents, identified as Charles Dupriest, 33, and Azyia Zielinski, 26, were arraigned last week. Zielinski faces six counts of child neglect, while Dupriest faces six counts of child neglect and one count of criminal possession of a weapon, charges stemming from statements that a firearm was present during the confinement. Both remain in custody on bonds set at $10,500 for Zielinski and $10,000 for Dupriest, Milwaukee County Jail records show.
The children’s ages ranged from 9 years old down to 2 months, with the oldest reportedly assisting younger siblings. Court documents describe the unit as “putrid” and lacking basic sanitation, and investigators noted the absence of electricity, running water, and proper bedding beyond a mattress and sofa. Social services and police remain involved as the case proceeds through the criminal process.
The incident has drawn renewed attention to child welfare and homelessness policy in Wisconsin and across the United States. Advocates have pointed to persistent debates over funding for shelters, case management, and preventative services intended to monitor at-risk families and intervene before situations escalate to confinement or abuse. Officials cautioned against drawing broad conclusions from a single case, but the episode underscores ongoing concerns about the adequacy of safeguards for vulnerable children, the availability of safe housing, and the resources provided to families facing housing instability.
As prosecutors pursue the case, local lawmakers and child-welfare experts are expected to review gaps in the system that may have allowed such conditions to persist. The Milwaukee Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for additional details, and neither the county nor state departments released new statements at the time of this writing. The situation remains under investigation as the legal process unfolds.