TULSA -- Tulsa police were stunned after they found children in deplorable conditions, closed off in rooms barricaded by boards and rope in east Tulsa.
The possible child neglect case was brought to light on Friday near 25th and Garnett. Eight children were taken into DHS custody.
On Friday, eight children were taken into state custody stemming from this case... and as of tonight, the parents responsible for the children have yet to be arrested or questioned.
Friday night, police responded to a call of two kids riding bikes near 21st and Garnett around 5 a.m.
When officers took those kids home, police said they were shocked at what they found.
“Ive seen about everything that can happen, happen,” Doug Embrey, a neighbor said.
Embryo’s neighborhood watch is high tech.
“Our camera system, we have eight cameras here and are rather sophisticated cameras,” Embrey said.
He told 2 Works for You he sees just about everything, but he never saw this coming.
“It’s pretty weird,” Cpl. Mark Kraft of the Tulsa Police Department said. “It's pretty bizarre. There's a lot of details we don't know yet.”
After police found the two children wandering the streets, they brought them home, and said they had to break in the front door to get inside.
“[That’s] where they found two other children who were locked in bedrooms,” Cpl. Kraft said.
The children were found in two separate bedrooms, barricaded with wooden boards and rope. Four children, all under 11 years old, appeared to be living in concerning conditions, with no running water, sparce furniture, and no parents.
“We’re still trying to determine how long they had been there by themselves,” Cpl. Kraft said.
An investigation revealed the parents live four miles away in a separate home, with four other children.
“They took all eight kids into custody and placed them with a family member,” Cpl. Kraft said of a DHS investigation into the matter.
Now, days later, some questions are being raised, such as why the parents of the eight children have not been interviewed by police.
“We just haven't made contact with them yet,” Cpl. Kraft said.
Meanwhile, police are working to recommend child neglect charges, using the conditions of the house and children’s interviews.
“That information along with the pictures taken of the house, it shouldn't be hard to make a criminal case,” Cpl. Kraft said.
Police are awaiting a DHS investigation before turning this case over to the district attorney.
Police said all eight children appeared to be in good health. The four found in the home alone told police they were fed regularly.
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