A Wisconsin mother and her boyfriend have been accused of imprisoning two children in their home for years.Katie Koch, 34, is facing four felony counts and two misdemeanors connected to child neglect and false imprisonment, while her boyfriend Joel Manke, 38, is facing four felony counts, according to local news outletsCBS 58andWISN.According toABC7 Eyewitness News, one of the couple’s neighbors saw the children — two boys aged 7 and 9 — looking through a shattered window last week. The neighbor said the children then climbed onto an air conditioning unit, jumped into the yard of the house and walked down the street naked.Koch and Manke appeared in court Monday.Milwaukee Police DepartmentOther neighbors have also described the state of the children, with one child witness claiming the two boys “were acting like cavemen, like they had never seen the sun before.”Per CBS 58, neighbor Christine Eder said it looked like the children “had never been outside before. If they have been, it’s been a very long time.”“They were just walking different. Their hair looked like it had never been brushed, never been cut. They didn’t know the outside existed,” she added.Eder told the outlet that her husband called the authorities while she kept an eye on the two boys.At Milwaukee County Intake Court on Monday, Assistant District Attorney Mallory Davis said the conditions the boys had been living in were like “something out of a horror movie.“CBS 58/ YouTubeWant to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.According to ABC7, officers who arrived at the home described it as “a terrible hoarding situation” and said they could not see the floor as it was piled with garbage. Officers also said the children’s room, which was locked from the outside, was smeared with feces. Officers said it smelled like urine and feces throughout the home.All the windows of the home had also been boarded up, but a neighbor toldCBS 58that they had “never noticed that.”“These children have been horribly damaged from their mother’s actions,” alleged Davis on Monday, per ABC7. “They are completely uneducated. They are not potty trained, even at their ages. They are, essentially at this point, unable to function in society.”Per the outlet, the children were taken into protective custody.Koch allegedly told officers that she and the children moved into the home, which was Manke’s, around four years ago.Manke, who had been living there since 2007, allegedly told investigators that the boys hadn’t been to school in the time that they had lived with him. He also alleged Koch had never taken them to see a doctor during that time either. Koch allegedly told officers that she homeschooled the children.She also allegedly said that the home was “not habitable” and admitted her boys deserve better,” according to authorities.Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson toldCBS 58it was “a terrible, unfortunate situation.”“No kid should have to endure that sort of experience, especially not with relatives of theirs,” he said.If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
A Wisconsin mother and her boyfriend have been accused of imprisoning two children in their home for years.
Katie Koch, 34, is facing four felony counts and two misdemeanors connected to child neglect and false imprisonment, while her boyfriend Joel Manke, 38, is facing four felony counts, according to local news outletsCBS 58andWISN.
According toABC7 Eyewitness News, one of the couple’s neighbors saw the children — two boys aged 7 and 9 — looking through a shattered window last week. The neighbor said the children then climbed onto an air conditioning unit, jumped into the yard of the house and walked down the street naked.
Koch and Manke appeared in court Monday.Milwaukee Police Department
Milwaukee Police Department
Other neighbors have also described the state of the children, with one child witness claiming the two boys “were acting like cavemen, like they had never seen the sun before.”
Per CBS 58, neighbor Christine Eder said it looked like the children “had never been outside before. If they have been, it’s been a very long time.”
“They were just walking different. Their hair looked like it had never been brushed, never been cut. They didn’t know the outside existed,” she added.
Eder told the outlet that her husband called the authorities while she kept an eye on the two boys.
At Milwaukee County Intake Court on Monday, Assistant District Attorney Mallory Davis said the conditions the boys had been living in were like “something out of a horror movie.”
CBS 58/ YouTube
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
According to ABC7, officers who arrived at the home described it as “a terrible hoarding situation” and said they could not see the floor as it was piled with garbage. Officers also said the children’s room, which was locked from the outside, was smeared with feces. Officers said it smelled like urine and feces throughout the home.
All the windows of the home had also been boarded up, but a neighbor toldCBS 58that they had “never noticed that.”
“These children have been horribly damaged from their mother’s actions,” alleged Davis on Monday, per ABC7. “They are completely uneducated. They are not potty trained, even at their ages. They are, essentially at this point, unable to function in society.”
Per the outlet, the children were taken into protective custody.
Koch allegedly told officers that she and the children moved into the home, which was Manke’s, around four years ago.
Manke, who had been living there since 2007, allegedly told investigators that the boys hadn’t been to school in the time that they had lived with him. He also alleged Koch had never taken them to see a doctor during that time either. Koch allegedly told officers that she homeschooled the children.
She also allegedly said that the home was “not habitable” and admitted her boys deserve better,” according to authorities.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson toldCBS 58it was “a terrible, unfortunate situation.”
“No kid should have to endure that sort of experience, especially not with relatives of theirs,” he said.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
