HOCKING COUNTY, Ohio — Two parents are on the run after a search warrant led investigators to the discovery of an extreme case of child cruelty.
According to the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and members of the Logan-Hocking Special Response Team served a search warrant at a residence on Bear Run Road. The warrant, officials said, was in relation to an ongoing sexual assault case.
Sheriff Lanny E. North said upon entering the home, deputies discovered a three-year-old toddler locked inside of a cage. The condition inside the home, the sheriff said, was deplorable. The cage, reports read, was filled with bugs and spoiled milk.
Officials say a second child, a two-year-old, was also in the residence carrying a pipe used for methamphetamine.
The parents identified as 38-year-old Franklin Varney and 25-year-old Megan Smith, authorities say, abandoned their children and fled from law enforcement. The children’s grandmother, Ella Webb, was in the residence at the time of the raid and was taken into custody.
The two toddlers were placed in emergency foster care by Child Protective Services.
The parents “remain at large,” said the Sheriff’s Office.
All three now face felony child endangerment charges.
A nationwide arrest warrant was requested for the parents.
Hocking County Chief Deputy Caleb J. Mortiz said, “I very, very strongly encourage Mr. Varney, and Ms. Smith to immediately surrender themselves to law enforcement. If they choose to run from their responsibilities, as they did tonight, the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office will tirelessly leverage every local, state, and federal resource available to bring these to justice.”
Anyone with information on their whereabouts should contact the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office or their nearest law enforcement agency.