Children removed from Alabama home after allegedly being locked in cages, authorities say

SMITHS STATION, Ala. - Five children were removed from a home in Alabama after investigators discovered that their mother, grandmother and grandfather had allegedly locked them in wooden cages, according to authorities.

Pamela Deloris Bond, 66, James H. Bond, 69, and Kylla Michelle Mann, 30, were arrested Jan. 13 in Smiths Station, a small city near the Alabama-Georgia border, authorities said.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said investigators responded to a report of possible child abuse with child welfare workers and found four children, ages 11, 10, 4 and 3. While at the home, investigators also noticed two wooden cages with hasps and locks on them.

Pamela Deloris Bond, 66, James H. Bond, 69, and Kylla Michelle Mann, 30, are pictured in booking photos. (Photos: Provided / Lee County Sheriff’s Office)

Investigators learned the children had been locked in the cages on “multiple occasions,” the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said.

Photos shared by the sheriff’s office showed what appeared to be a wooden crib-shaped cage with a mattress and blanket and a lid across the top that appeared to open and close. A second photo showed a crib with what appeared to be a similar slatted lid across the top.

Authorities also discovered that a fifth child, who is 8 months old, was also living at the home but was not present at the time of the investigation.

A photo shared by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office shows one of the wooden crib-shaped cages found inside the Alabama home. (Photo: Provided / Lee County Sheriff’s Office)

All five children were removed from the home and have been placed in the custody of Alabama’s Department of Human Resources in Lee County.

Both Mann and James Bond were each charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse of a child less than 6 years of age and two counts of reckless endangerment. Both were being held on a $122,000 bond.

Pamela Bond was charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse of child less than 6 years of age, two counts of reckless endangerment and one count of tampering with physical evidence. She was being held on a $123,000 bond.

This story was reported from Cincinnati. The Associated Press contributed.