A couple has been taken into custody following the discovery of six children, including a two-month-old infant, residing in distressing conditions within a storage unit. Authorities were alerted to the situation by a concerned citizen who heard a child crying at a storage facility in the early hours of Tuesday, September 16. Upon arrival, law enforcement found the children, aged between two months and nine years, inside the unit. The exact duration of their confinement was unclear, but fortunately, none of them appeared to be physically harmed. Azyia Zielinski, 26, and Charles Dupriest, 33, have been charged in connection with the incident.
Detectives, describing the dismal environment in a complaint obtained by the Mail Online, noted that the windowless unit was in a state of disarray. Inside, there was minimal furniture, including a sectional couch and a bare twin mattress without bedding. While some food items were found, there was a lack of essential utilities like running water, electricity, and lighting. Additionally, an orange bucket containing urine was positioned in the center of the room.
Reports indicate that the odor emanating from the unit was so overwhelming that investigators could not remain inside for long. Zielinski, emotional and tearful, appeared in court facing six counts of child neglect, while Dupriest was charged with one count of illegal possession of a firearm and six counts of child neglect. The duo was discovered sleeping in a vehicle with their pet dog in the parking lot outside the storage facility.
A neighbor, who chose to remain anonymous, disclosed to TMJ4’s Jenna Rae that she had observed the family with children frequenting the StorSafe unit on the northern side of Milwaukee since the summer. Meanwhile, other tenants of the storage facility expressed astonishment at the discovery of children in the unit, as they had never seen any kids on the premises before.
Investigations are ongoing, with the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office set to review the charges. Efforts to reach the facility’s management for comments have been unsuccessful, as neither the on-site manager nor StorSafe management responded to inquiries. The Mirror has also reached out to StorSafe for a statement on the matter.