Swatara Township, PA- The child, found wandering alone at 7:30 a.m., had been confined behind a barricade of zip ties, duct tape, and wooden boards — and spent up to three days straight inside without being let out, authorities say.
A 5-year-old boy was found wandering naked in the middle of a Pennsylvania road on the morning of July 10, setting off an investigation that led authorities to a house that they described as filled with trash, hundreds of flies, and a child’s bedroom that had been sealed from the outside.
Pennsylvania State Police were called around 7:30 a.m. to the intersection of Quarry Road and South Lancaster Street in Swatara Township, roughly 95 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Good Samaritans had flagged down troopers after finding the boy walking barefoot in the road. He was taken to a hospital to be examined.
Investigators traced the child back to a home on North Poplar Street in the township. When troopers entered, they encountered what they described as “hoarder conditions” — trash piled throughout, hundreds of flies, and barely enough room to walk through the clutter.
Inside the boy’s bedroom, the scene was far worse. A baby gate had been secured to the outside of the door frame using zip ties and duct tape. Above it, wooden boards had been drilled into the frame — specifically, authorities said, to stop the child from getting out. The bedroom walls and window had feces smeared across them. The mattress was torn apart, covered in food and garbage. Hundreds of flies swarmed the room.
Three adults were taken into custody: Jade Shuey, 21, Stephanie Schaffner, 42, and Tucker Heagy, 20. All three were charged with endangering the welfare of a child and held at Lebanon County Prison after none were able to post bail.
Shuey told investigators that the boy spent approximately 90% of his day confined in that room — and was sometimes locked inside for up to three days without being let out. He was reportedly fed by passing food through the gate and was bathed no more than once a week, if that. Heagy told police that releasing the boy required cutting five to ten zip ties at a time. The suspects allegedly purchased zip ties in bulk because they went through so many.
The child’s relationship to the three defendants has not been confirmed. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 23.