The mother and grandmother of five-year-old twins in Florida are facing child neglect charges after allegedly shutting the girls in a shed without food, water, or electricity.
The Alachua County Sheriff's Office says a caller reported finding the girls alone in a Waldo shed around 3 a.m. on June 28, with a brick blocking the door. Deputies said the shed, where the girls were left for several hours, lacked ventilation.
A large hunting knife was within the girls' reach.
"I want you to also keep in mind that these young girls are probably extremely scared, frightened, it's dark, it is very early between midnight and 3 to 3.30 in the morning. There is no lights on the outside of this shed either," said Captain Chris Sims, public information officer for the Alachua Sheriff's Office, according to WCJB TV20.
"So, Heaven forbid these young girls walk out of the shed looking for help, they would unfortunately probably wander into a major highway and, and, you know, catastrophic results would probably take place,” he added.
The girls appeared dirty, disheveled, and malnourished, officials said.
Deputies say Tamara Stoiber, 37, left her twin daughters with their grandmother, Sabine Thrift, 59, for what was supposed to be a quick errand, but she was gone for hours.
Investigators believe Thrift did not want to watch the kids.
Thrift faces two child neglect charges with a $20,000 bond, while Stoiber is charged with child neglect and false imprisonment and is held on a $70,000 bond.
