LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Henderson police found an 11-year-old in a cage filled with feces and trash, surrounded by metal bars, according to an arrest report obtained by FOX5.
On Tuesday, April 23, the Henderson Police Department responded to a home in the 2000 block of Silverton Drive around 10:15 a.m. after a Clark County School District truancy officer requested assistance. The officer told HPD that the 11-year-old inside the residence had been missing from school for “over a week.”
After 40 minutes, 41-year-old Jeffrey Scanlan answered the door and allowed officers to come inside the home. Once inside, officers observed a large enclosure with metal bars “similar to a jail cell,” according to the report. An 11-year-old boy was also seen inside the enclosure wearing only a diaper and surrounded by feces and trash.
Scanlan informed officers that his son has “severe autism spectrum disorder” and that keeping him in the enclosure helped keep him under control.
Throughout the house, officers noted trash strewn across floors and counters, feces smeared into carpet and on walls, and multiple holes in walls. Additionally, within the enclosure, officers noted several wooden boards covering holes in the wall, and a wooden container with trash, toys, and crumbs. A cupholder belonging to a recliner was also observed, filled with an “unknown liquid,” according to the report.
Scanlan told police that it had been several weeks since the cage was last cleaned, claiming it was the responsibility of his wife and other children. He added that he could not help due to his “bad back.”
He also said the cage was installed six years prior because his child was “aggressive and hard to control.”
During the night, Scanlan said the child was kept in a room with no furniture and two exits, one of which was locked and another tied shut with a knotted rope. The report noted that in case of an emergency, the child would have to be let out by someone else since Scanlan said he hadn’t “figured out knots yet.”
When asked about multiple referrals for service from CCSD, Scanlan said he neglected to respond because he “did not know where to start” and “did not want strangers in the house.”
Police would also later make contact with 46-year-old Misty Scanlan, who claimed she had tried to respond to CCSD’s referrals, but they “would not accept her insurance.” She added that her children had all been to a doctor recently and all were “healthy.”
FOX5 talked with some neighbors of the home where the child was found. They all mentioned the family was quiet and usually kept to themselves.
“I love my neighborhood, and you feel like you know everybody, but sometimes you just never know what’s happening behind closed doors,” Wanda Ockey said. “It’s gut-wrenching, for sure. There’s nothing worse than thinking, ‘Gosh, they’re so innocent. I mean, it affects them for the rest of their lives.’ And that’s sad.”
Misty and Jeffrey Scanlan were taken into custody on Tuesday, and both have been released after posting a $5,000 bond.
The two are due back in court for a status check on Tuesday, May 14.
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