SIOUX CITY, Iowa — She was hungry enough to climb out a window.
A young girl with autism, locked inside her bedroom with no food, no water, and no way out, found the only exit she could. She pushed through a window that had been partially forced open and slipped out into the night to find something to eat.
That desperate act may have saved her life.
How police found her
Sioux City officers responded to a South Rustin Street home on Tuesday at 3:37 p.m. after reports of a missing juvenile.
Brandon and Emily Myers met officers at the door. They identified themselves as the girl’s guardians and said they had last seen her the previous night before going to sleep around 4 a.m.
They had not checked on her since.
Officers found the girl nearby and brought her back to the residence. What they saw when they arrived alarmed them immediately.
The child appeared severely malnourished and dehydrated. She was taken to a local hospital, where she weighed in at just 78 pounds.
What the girl told police
The girl told investigators she had climbed out of her bedroom window because she needed food.
She later re-entered the house, went to the kitchen, grabbed what she could, and then hid inside a van parked on the property.
There, she ate as much as she could.
Officers found the van filled with numerous boxes of snacks — bananas, bagels, and more — all of which the girl said she had eaten.
What officers found inside the bedroom
A search warrant revealed what investigators described as extreme and neglectful living conditions.
The girl’s bedroom door had a locking mechanism installed on the outside. The door handle had been deliberately reversed to prevent her from opening it from inside.
Screws had been placed on the window frame to keep it shut.
Inside the room, there was no food. No water.
Instead, officers found a plastic tote being used as a toilet.
The bedroom was also 10 to 15 degrees warmer than the rest of the house.
What the suspects admitted
During a post-Miranda interview, one of the defendants admitted the living conditions were not acceptable.
They also admitted that the girl was locked in her room every night from the outside, was given no food or water, and was left to use a tub in the room to relieve herself.
Brandon and Emily Myers are both charged with child endangerment causing injury. Both remain in Woodbury County Jail without bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for next Friday.
The girl is currently receiving medical treatment at a local hospital.
If this story troubled you, share your thoughts in the comments. Cases like this are a reminder of why community awareness matters — and why children who cannot speak for themselves need people paying attention.