A pair has been taken into custody following the discovery of six children, including a two-month-old infant, residing in a storage unit under appalling conditions. Police were alerted to the storage facility in the early hours of Tuesday, September 16, in response to a report of a child’s cries.
Upon arrival, law enforcement found the six children, aged between two months and nine years old. The duration of time they had been left there was unclear, but fortunately, none of them seemed to have sustained any injuries. Azyia Zielinski, 26, and Charles Dupriest, 33, have been formally charged in connection with the incident.
Detectives, as per a complaint detailed in the Mail Online, described the dim, windowless unit as being in a state of disarray. The confined space contained only a sectional couch and a bare twin mattress without any bedding. Despite finding soda, milk, and snack boxes inside, there was a lack of basic amenities such as running water, electricity, or lighting, with an orange bucket of urine placed in the center of the room.
The overpowering stench in the unit made it unbearable for detectives to stay inside. Zielinski, emotional and tearful, appeared in court facing six counts of child neglect, while Dupriest was charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a felon and six counts of child neglect.
Zielinski and Dupriest were discovered sleeping in a vehicle parked outside the facility with their pet dog. One of the children reportedly expressed dismay to officers, mentioning that the dog had a place to sleep in the car while they had to rest in the unit.
A neighbor, speaking to TMJ4’s Jenna Rae, observed what seemed to be a family with children frequenting the StorSafe unit in Milwaukee throughout the summer. Another unit renter, Donnie Earl, expressed shock at never having seen any children at the location despite his daily visits.
The investigation continues, and the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office will review the charges. Efforts to reach the facility’s management for comments were unsuccessful.
The Mirror has also reached out to StorSafe for a response.