2 northwest Georgia women arrested after child found in cage

CHATSWORTH, Ga.- Murray County authorities and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are investigating the discovery Thursday of two cages inside a Chatsworth, Ga., home used to imprison an 8-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy for as long as two months or more.

A series of calls to the Murray County Sheriff’s Office Thursday led to a further investigation of the home and conditions.

Stephanie Elizabeth Stone, the children’s mother, was arrested and charged with first-degree cruelty to children, false imprisonment, and possession of a controlled substance, WRCB said.

Murray County, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and the state Department of Family and Children’s Services are now investigating the child abuse. A news conference was planned for 11 a.m. ET. Police had received a tip about a child being in the home alone. Wanda Sue Redfern, 49, was charged with cruelty to children, first degree, and false imprisonment.

Sheriff Langford said that prior to that DFACS invsetigation, there were no calls to the home.

The boy was being held in a makeshift cage made from two twin bed frames, combined with metal hinges and wire ties to hold the cage together. One of them was a wooden-type bed with wooden rails added on to use as a cage.

The boy “was calm but he was ready to get out of the cage and that was accomplished fairly quickly”, said Ramey, who said he had never seen such a case.

Ramey said Stone was the biological mother of the children. In July two young children, four and six, were found living with dogs, rusty cages, and debris in China. Officials say the children are in “good” condition. The deputy was met at the door by a girl and an adult female. Another call came in later in the afternoon, with additional information about the situation, and deputies went to the residence again.

The Murray County Sheriff’s Office, GBI, and the Conasauga District Attorney’s office are involved in the investigation.

When investigators arrived at the home early Friday morning, they found the boy inside a homemade cage. One of the cages was occupied by an 11 year old male child and the other cage was empty.

Children and Family services has also joined the investigation.