It was just before 1 p.m. Thursday when officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to a home after neighbors heard screams. When they arrived at the scene, they found two half-dressed girls, aged 3 and 5, crying in the backyard of a house. Despite the cold and pouring rain, they wore only diapers, no shirts, no pants, no shoes. And they cried out desperately for their parents.

In the house itself, the officers then also found a six-year-old boy who was completely naked in a dog cage. The cage door was fixed with a cable tie. It is unclear how long the boy had to endure in this cage. As several US media reports, the children were taken to a hospital for examination.

Also present at the home were an 80-year-old woman in a wheelchair and a 40-year-old family member. The woman was also taken to a hospital. Two other children are said to live in the house, but they are said to have been in school at the time of the police operation.

The police arrested the 30-year-old mother and the 31-year-old father, among other things, for endangering the child's well-being.

As neighbors reported to the news channel NBC10 Philadelphia, there have been repeated police operations at the couple's address in the past. "But nothing was ever done," a neighbor is quoted as saying. Another tells the TV station that he often saw the children running around unsupervised. The children are said to all suffer from mental health problems. The six-year-old boy is said to have autism, according to unconfirmed reports.

A police spokesman said police are working with the health department to ensure the children are getting the care they need while the investigation continues.

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Sources: NBC Philadelphia, NBC News