Child LOCKED in Dog Cage Inside 'House of Horrors': Cops

If you look at the property from the outside, there was nothing that would distinguish it from any of the other properties in the neighborhood. But once you got inside, then that's when you walked into the House of Horrors. This was one of the worst cases of hoarding and deplorable conditions that we've seen. Four family members are sitting behind bars in yet another House of Horrors case after a 12-year-old was found wandering. Tammy regularly hauls stuff to her kids at college. That's why she shops at BJ's Wholesale Club, saving up to 25% off grocery store prices. Beef jerky, microwave meals, laundry pods, even they can't screw up. Have you met my kids? And with BJ's gas, she gets there for less. They call me the road warrior. This is your home, road warrior mom. Home of the Save. Join for just $20 at BJ's.com slash mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. Limited time offer, new members only. BJ's. Home of the Save. The streets, and only a diaper. No child in this community should ever suffer without appropriate medical support, proper nutrition, or without the other means of support that their families are supposed to offer. The allegations from police are shocking. A girl in a dog cage, horrific conditions behind closed doors, and now the suspects are being hit with more charges. And just wait until I tell you how many animals police say they found inside the house. We're on the case presented by Law & Crime. I'm Chris Stewart. You know, it just feels like we have been covering more and more cases where the term house of horrors is used. And it just makes you wonder just how many of these cases are truly going on behind closed doors that police have yet to find. But in this case out of Missouri, house of horrors, that is the specific phrase that the police chief used to describe what they found. I'm going to tell you this is really bad. So you're talking about fecal matter everywhere? There was feces, urine throughout the home. That's just one way police are describing the unlivable conditions of this specific home. It's located in Joplin, Missouri. But there's also a victim in this case. A 12-year-old girl who has special needs. And police say they found her in only a diaper. The conditions of her health were unacceptable. And worst of all, police reveal how her health began to decline involving allegations of years-long abuse by her own family. We have a lot to get through in this case, including how all four defendants, who played a role, allegedly, in this situation. So I want to jump right into it. On August 9th, at approximately 7:45 a.m., Joplin police officers responded to a missing juvenile. The juvenile female was described as having special needs, including autism. When we got the call, she'd already been missing for approximately one hour. She was described to us as only wearing a diaper and possibly being in the area of Landreth Park. Due to several factors, such as the heat, the amount of time that she'd been missing already and her special needs, the juvenile was located after approximately a two-and-a-half-hour search. She appeared malnourished to officers and was provided medical attention there at the scene. She didn't appear to us to have any injuries, but the conditions of her health were unacceptable. According to a probable cause affidavit in the case, the 12-year-old girl was only four feet tall and she weighed just 50 pounds. And they realized something was wrong. Something was very wrong. When they got to the home, they were able to determine that the living conditions at the home were totally unsafe and unfit for human habitation. The press conference did not go into the graphic details of the home's, frankly, terrifying conditions, but the probable cause affidavit does, so this is what we can tell you. It says, "Immediately after entering the home, the smell of the animals and ammonia from cat urine overwhelmed officers. It was extremely difficult to get around the home due to the clutter, including stacks of trash, food, and clothing. There were rooms and hallways filled with animal cages, blocking ways to get in and out of the home quickly and safely, with animals who smelled of feces and their cages were void of any food or water sources." Even more shocking, the amount of animals allegedly found in this home, quote, "animal control" removed 83 live animals. Five animals and five dead animals from the property. So nearly 90 in total. One animal was so badly decomposed, the exact species could not be determined. All animals had improper shelter and several likely never got to leave their cages. The animals in the home were all found to have little or no access to water. Many were sitting in build-up of their own feces and urine. The animals living outside had improper shelter and no access to fresh, clean water. In total. The animals removed from the home, 1,300 square foot home and around property, were as follows. Five dogs, 19 cats, 44 chickens, one pig, one quail, one duck, three rabbits, three tortoise, and two turtles. According to police, all of the living animals inside the home were turned over to the Joplin Humane Society for medical attention and ongoing care. As the homeowners surrendered ownership to them, police said those animals, could become available for adoption once animal control determines it's safe to do so. But when we talk about this house of horrors, there's so many more details of it. We haven't even scratched the surface. It feels like because police discovered where this 12 year old victim had allegedly been sleeping. Quote, the victim was found to have been sleeping in a dog cage outside of Crystal Ross's bedroom. The adoptive mother of the victim to prevent her from hurting her family during the overnight hours. She was made to sleep only in a diaper with a. Pillow and a blanket. Multiple padlocks were located on the cage to prevent her from escaping. Crystal admitted she knew that was wrong and advised it was likely causing emotional and mental damage to the victim. But she continued to make the victim sleep in the cage for close to one year. According to other family members, the victim had been sleeping in the cage for closer to two years. Officers also described the surroundings of the victim's sleeping conditions along with her alleged escape route out of the house. Quote, to get where the cage was that the victim had been made to sleep in, officers had to squeeze past a large hutch in about a seven inch gap. The cage was located on the other side outside of the master bedroom directly across from another bedroom, which was full of animal cages that all contained live animals. There were soiled diapers in the dog cage the victim had been sleeping in. The back door where the victim escaped the home was blocked on the outside by yard trash. Fencing and a small toddler pool, which officers had to climb over to get to the back door. The victim would have had to climb over all items as well, creating a substantial risk of bodily injury just to be able to escape the home. Now look, a child with special needs, it is challenging for parents, but there's no excuse, obviously, for what is alleged in this case. And you wonder why her adoptive mom, why wouldn't she reach out for help? Here's what Crystal told police, quote, she admitted there had been opportunities to place the victim. I want to hire a private investigator. Some folks say I'm the best. ABC Tuesdays, TV's hottest PI is back. You sure you're ready to take on a serial killer? It's like a dozen more likely explanations other than serial killer. All right, maybe not a dozen. In Florida, crime has no off season. I just heard you were shot at today with a rocket launcher. Well missed. RJ Decker, Tuesdays 10/9 Central on ABC, next day on Hulu. Home of the save. Join for just $20 at bjs.com/mesquite. And save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. BJ's, home of the save. In a care facility where she would be properly cared for by medical professionals, but she did not feel comfortable doing so and thought she could provide better care for her at home. Now, according to police, many neighbors in the area didn't even know there was a young child living in the home. And Crystal isolated the victim to the point where she has not attended school in at least six years due to her quote behavioral outbursts. But remember, three other family members were living in the home. So you have to wonder why didn't anyone step in and stop what allegedly was going on? You have Crystal's husband, a man named Shane Ross. He spoke with law enforcement in an interview at the Joplin police department. And he told detectives that the victim was actually his niece and had been living with his wife and two daughters for about 10 years. Shane said the victim was originally placed in their custody by a local Baptist organization. And the family eventually adopted her after her biological father's custody rights had been taken away. When police asked if Shane was aware the victim was locked in a cage, he said that he was explaining it was due to her behavior. Remember, this girl's 12. She's four feet tall and they believe she was weighing just about 50 pounds. Quote Shane advised that the victim had several mental issues. And had been in counseling and also was currently taking medication for those issues. And that the victim would always get out and would always be found eating food wherever she would be located. Shane advised that the victim had never ran from the house before, but had made statements about burning the house down. Shane also advised that they had reached out for help several times and had even been told that the victim needed to be in some kind of care facility, but they had not followed through with that after one facility asking if they wanted the victim to come back. Shane advised that he knew that it was wrong to lock the victim inside a cage and he didn't want to do it, but they had to in order to be able to sleep. Ross advised that they would also lock the victim in the cage when they would leave the house even though both his adult daughters would be at the house when they left. Ross advised that they would be gone from the house no more than two hours at a time. If they would be gone longer, they would take the victim with them. Ross advised that they would lock the victim in the cage overnight. And sometimes in the evenings, depending on what they were doing, it just sounds like the way that they were allegedly treating the victim. In this case, this 12 year old girl who has special needs, it's as if she was just another one of the dozens of animals they had on their property. And you have to wonder what did the victim's siblings think about what was allegedly going on inside their house? One of those siblings, a 19 year old named Megan Ross told this to police quote, Megan identified the living arrangements and stated she slept in the living room because her bedroom had gotten out of control. She indicated that the victim slept inside a kennel that was located in a hallway inside the residence. Megan explained that the victim had several behavioral disorders that caused for the family to fear for their safety, citing an incident in the past when the victim threatened to kill Megan with a sharp object. Megan admitted that there were a few times where she had placed the victim in the kennel. When I asked Megan how she was able to sleep in the living room, she said, she felt about the victim being in the kennel. Megan replied that she didn't necessarily like it, but thought it was better than the family getting hurt. End quote. Police spoke with the victim's other sibling. This is a 25 year old named Hannah Ross. She gave a similar story. She also allegedly slept in the living room due to her own room's conditions being out of control, ensured the same incident where the victim allegedly threatened to kill her sibling in their sleep and also threatened to burn the house down. Hannah also alleged that the victim was in the living room allegedly admitted to police. She herself would lock the victim in the dog kennel at night for quote, the victim's safety and the safety of the family and said the victim had been sleeping in the kennel for almost every night for about one or two years. Quote, when asked how she felt about it, Hannah said she didn't like it, but didn't see what other choice the family had since they weren't getting the help they needed. Now, those are a lot. Of horrific allegations, to say the least, including a deplorable state inside the home. I mean, you even wonder how the suspects in this case were able to survive in this environment, considering how toxic it sounds like it was. According to police, you have nearly 100 animals, some of them dead, and then you just have conditions. I nothing short of gut wrenching, which is a cliche term when you think of how this family allegedly treated a girl with special needs. And it really goes to show that. No one knows what is going on behind closed doors. And now comes the next question. After you heard all of that, what is a fair and right punishment for these individuals if they're found guilty? Now, according to court records, all four of these suspects were hit with the same three charges. They count of misdemeanor, animal neglect, or abandonment. Earlier this week, prosecutors submitted an amended complaint, though, adding additional charges. You have felony child abuse or neglect, five counts, first degree kidnapping, one count of that, misdemeanor, animal neglect, or abandonment, three counts. So now you have all four suspects facing five felony counts of child abuse or neglect, and a new charge of first degree kidnapping in three counts of misdemeanor, animal neglect, or abandonment, which adds up to nine charges in total. And as of right now, Crystal, Shane, and Megan Ross, have entered pleas of not guilty to that amended complaint with Hannah's decision pending. Crystal Ross is being held without bond in the Jasper County Detention Center in Missouri. She is due back in court September 16th. Megan Ross is also being held in jail without bond. She's due back in court October 14th. Then Hannah Ross is also jailed without bond. She'll be back in court, according to court records, on September 9th. Then you have Shane Ross, and he was actually granted bond, but it's pretty steep. Five million dollars, cash only, and that appears to be the unposted as of right now. He is due back in court October 29th. This is something that is very atypical for the city of Joplin to experience tragic stories like this. It's not who we are as a community. The vast majority of people in Joplin love, nourish, and protect their kids. The health and safety of our children is always paramount and should always come first. And to anyone out there who is struggling to support your children, we have a vast array of nonprofits, and you can also call us at Joplin.com. The Joplin Police Department's co-responder unit, who will respond and help you through life's toughest struggles. This is your home, road warrior mom, home of the save. Join for just $20 at bjs.com. Eat and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. 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You know, this is a loaded question I'm starting with, but it's like, it's so overwhelming reading all the allegations of what was found inside this home and what these four family members are accused of. How do you even start putting together a defense for these individuals, knowing what they're accused of? Because they also, it seems like they made some pretty damning statements to law enforcement. Yeah, that is a big issue. So first of all, the only thing that I would attack this with is the reason that they are saying they kept the victim in a cage for so long. They're saying that she had made statements and made threats and made credible threats to the people that are inside the home and outside the home, that she was going to burn the home down, or that she was going to cause serious physical injury to people inside the home. And so there can be maybe a necessity defense here that, hey, this is the only thing we could reasonably think of doing in order to keep her safe and keep ourselves safe as well. But man, there's not a lot to work with when you get the victim up on the stand and she's 12 years old and 40 pounds. Once you put that vulnerable of a victim on there, you kind of lose a lot of credibility with the jury. Or with a judge, whatever you're doing. A hundred percent. It does seem like from multiple family members who were charged in this case that there was this story of the 12-year-old apparently threatening people in the house and all of that. But then it's also like she's 12, has some sort of special needs issue. Because I think another big part of this is if there were all these issues with this girl and she needed help, she's this minor, she's clearly not being fed to be 50 pounds. She's four feet tall. They're putting her in a cage as opposed to reaching out. And there are services for people who have issues, but they felt like they even in their, at least Crystal in her interview with law enforcement, the adoptive mom, she said like, no, I think I can provide better care. And it's like, clearly that wasn't the case. And it's just like, those are the statements I feel like if you're a defense attorney and you're taking on this case, it's like, man, I wish they didn't say that. Clearly, I mean, it's overall, you want to I think all of us, but just from the defense standpoint, it just seems like those statements to law enforcement may be a big problem. Yeah, it absolutely is. In a majority of cases, statements to law enforcement are a problem here, especially because you just can't work with a lot of the things that they're saying. But if you're going to defend this case to a jury, you're going to have to provide some sort of picture for them to believe that they had to do this and there was no reasonable alternative. Getting into some of the charges that they're now facing after an amended complaint was put in, and I found it interesting, there was a first degree kidnapping charge, just because this is a child who apparently was the adopted child of people in the home. This was technically her residence. Like what does, because when you think of kidnapping, it's like pulling someone out of a car and then they get taken away. But like, how does the law view like kidnapping and how it might apply to a case like this? Sure. And I have a lot of clients that have this type of issue too, because they're like, I didn't take somebody from their home. i didn't take a kid from their home kidnapping can apply to adults it can apply to kids but mainly it's just taking someone and holding them unlawfully where they don't want to be um whether or not that's in their room whether or not here it's in a dog cage um for no reasonable or practical purpose um and then the extra element for kidnapping in the first degree is that you're causing or inflicting some sort of you're terrorizing them and that's what they've alleged here is that they've kept them in a dog cage kept the victim in a dog cage for the purpose of just terrorizing her there's no legal reason or no just cause for doing such um and so that's all they have to prove there it doesn't have to be that i've kept them in a um in a basement and i took some kid off the street um in my in my van like what you see on the movies it's just keeping someone unlawfully in a place they don't want to be for the purpose of terrorizing them i think two of like the animals um on the property so there's like roughly 90 total five apparently were dead and then you have like 83 just a wide dogs cats different types of birds chickens you know the whole deal and not only i mean that creates a they talk about like it's a toxic issue when you think of like you know urine and all of those things not to you know tmi that but um how does the way that apparently they treated animals the allegations there apply to the case that you know is really of the most importance which is the way that they treated this 12 year old girl because like as i read through this i was like they are literally treating a human being exactly the same way they're treating these animals and the animals shouldn't be treated that way either but like the idea that she was sleeping in a cage and being left there um how even though it's just a misdemeanor the animal charges how does that apply to the rest of the case well it's it's not going to apply uh outside of just a jury a jury and how they're going to view the defendants that are sitting in front of them and it's one of those things where uh it's the first thing you look at with children as well as far as is is somebody sitting in front of me going to commit harm to other people as you look at their past and say what have they done to animals right um how you treat animals is really indicative of how you're going to treat somebody else as well because animals and children are very innocent creatures right um so a jury's going to see hey you've got all these dogs and all these cats who've never been let out of these kennels um you've got pigs you've got chickens and you're treating them poorly i can only imagine what you're treating this child as and it's not going to give you any sort of um blessings from the jury that's for sure um so c misdemeanors are not going to really be super impactful um on a sentencing i think the the max is 15 days in in the county jail on each each count of a c misdemeanor um but they're going to be impactful in the way that a jury views a defendant for sure um especially whenever you bring the pictures in in um to show what the the scene actually looked like when law enforcement goes in there um that's going to be the most impactful thing that you could have and that's another thing i mean for the defense is like pressing play on a slideshow of apparently what they found in the house like we haven't seen those images but um it's just you know it's just terrible to think like what this this young person went through and is there any sort of you know it's i feel like i'm even like stretching it like trying to say you know like you know almost like trying to like put together a defense but i want to hire a private investigator some folks saying the best abc tuesdays tv's hottest pi is back are you sure you're ready to take on a serial killer it's like a dozen more likely explanations other than serial killer all right maybe not a dozen in florida crime has no off season i just heard you were shot at today with a rocket launcher well missed rj decker tuesday's 10 night central on abc next day on hulu tammy regularly hauls stuff to her kids at college that's why she shops at bj's wholesale club saving up to 25 off grocery store prices beef jerky microwave meals laundry pods even they can't screw up have you met my kids and with bj's gas she gets there for less they call me the road warrior this is your home road warrior mom home of the save join for just 20 at bjs.com mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months open soon limited time offer new members only bj's home of the save it's like you know it is i can't imagine what it's like to raise a child with special needs and but that's very different from like what we're dealing with here as far as the allegations like how do you make them sympathetic figures you know in a case like this like when you have a defendant where again you're gonna have these pictures you're gonna have this victim uh and and if you're trying to find any sort of sympathy with the jury if it even gets to that point like how do you do that you have to humanize them and then you also have to figure out ways to show that she did late live some sort of a normal life like just because she slept in the dog cage doesn't mean she wasn't allowed outside of the cage uh during the days um she had access to food she had access to uh water she just chose not to eat maybe i don't know what led her to be 50 pounds um but you have to show that she did live some sort of a normal life but the other part of uh what's going to be hard is that they're fostering her they're adopting her and people are going to view this case as the perils of the foster system and if you are not equipped and you are not able to handle somebody with special needs as an adoptive parent um then you shouldn't adopt that child so i think that's an added um issue that the defense is gonna face is did they just adopt this child so they had somebody to abuse um that's a very valid question that they're gonna have to tackle head on how likely would it be and i know that we're a long way away from a trial i mean this is just getting going and we don't know if it would even get to that point but it's i i just think of like a 12 year old girl you know 40 pounds four feet tall how vulnerable that person was and what they went through but each person has a right to come face to face with their accuser and she's more of a victim she's not really you know accusing in that case but like how likely would it be that she would have to go on the stand and be cross-examined by a defense attorney who is going to probably based on you know no matter how strong of the defense it might be but like would have to go at her for these allegations they're making about her being aggressive in the house right well so as a defense attorney i would take this case and this would not be a victim that i chose to go at you're not going to gain any sympathy with a jury in that regard um you treat victims um differently based on who they are for sure in a cross examination but this is one that you're going to have to be gentle with and you're going to have to treat with kind hands but i don't see this going towards a jury whatsoever i don't see this going towards a trial at all i think i think that's the purpose of the amended complaint to be dealt with i don't think that's the purpose of the amended complaint to be dealt with i think that's the purpose of the amended complaint to be dealt with a lot of times prosecutors will amend complaints or re-indict cases with much heftier charges in order to incentivize a plea deal and that's why there are five or six counts of the b felony of abuse or neglect of a child they alleged every single type of serious physical injury and serious emotional injury that could have been caused to this child just to get some sort of incentive to incentivize the defendant to plead guilty down how soon like when you know this amended complaint comes down you know how soon is is one of these defendants probably checking and seeing what a plea deal situation would look like knowing that if maybe you testify against somebody else you might get the better deal compared to a person who might hold out absolutely if i'm crystal's attorney or if i'm one of the daughter's attorneys i'm going to the prosecutor and i'm asking can i do a proffer do you want my client to testify against the dad do you want my client to participate in a trial if it comes down to it do you want what my client knows and i do think that that's why they charge the daughters as well um because they're they're gonna flip that's that's a given um if you put some pressure on them they're gonna flip i think if they probably would have flipped before charges were even filed they never would have been charged um and they would have became witnesses but i do think that that's a reasonable thing for the district of california to do something like that i think that's a reasonable thing for the district of california to do something like that i think if they probably would have flipped before charges were even filed they never would have been charged um and they would have became witnesses but i do think that that's a reasonable thing for the district of california to do something like that district of california to do something like that district attorney to do is to put charges on a district attorney to do is to put charges on a district attorney to do is to put charges on a vulnerable person like that that the daughters vulnerable person like that that the daughters vulnerable person like that that the daughters in hopes that that will incentivize them to in hopes that that will incentivize them to in hopes that that will incentivize them to testify against their dad testify against their dad testify against their dad yeah and and you know i wonder too i mean yeah and and you know i wonder too i mean yeah and and you know i wonder too i mean who's the big you know because crystal who's the big you know because crystal who's the big you know because crystal like she said a lot of things that would like she said a lot of things that would like she said a lot of things that would be damning against her you know as far as be damning against her you know as far as be damning against her you know as far as what but even like the daughters they what but even like the daughters they what but even like the daughters they talked about putting this victim talked about putting this victim talked about putting this victim in a cage allegedly you know and you in a cage allegedly you know and you in a cage allegedly you know and you have like at what point inside a have like at what point inside a have like at what point inside a prosecutor's office you say like this is prosecutor's office you say like this is prosecutor's office you say like this is the big fish we want and like we're the big fish we want and like we're the big fish we want and like we're gonna go all in as opposed to saying you because the big fish may come and say, hey, do you want a deal? And it's like, well, you're not really the person that we're looking to give a deal to. The others are the ones for it. How does that work? So immediately, immediately the prosecutor knows exactly who they want out of the case. Sometimes that may change, but in this situation where it's a family unit, you're going to want the dad. You're going to want the man who is more likely than not be the one making the decisions. The two daughters, they're what, 19 and 20. They're not making the decisions in the house. They're still young. They're not the driving force in this case. They may want the mom. That that's reasonable as well. But here, they know exactly who they want, they're going to go after him. And that's why that's why you see such hefty charges in in these amended complaints is so that they will flip on their dad. And just lastly, because like we have covered, and we were talking about this beforehand, like, I mean, the term house of whores, like has happened multiple times. And it's these cases where, you know, there's, for some reason, a ton of animals hoarding situations, but then you have young people, a lot of times who have been, you know, allegedly held, or, you know, it's a nightmare, all these cases. And I think in this case, like you have this young girl, and everything that you went through, I know the system will provide like services, and she's still going to be a minor for, you know, another six years or so until she's 18. But like, from a legal side, like civil side, like, who represents her, you know, in these types of proceedings? In this case, it's the prosecutor, they have a victim advocate that will work very closely with her. And I imagine that in this, this county, it's a fairly large county, it's not a very small one. They have a competent victim advocate group, who will work closely with her to provide her housing, maybe put her into a new foster care home where they know she's going to be safe. And then get her into some sort of I want to hire a private investigator. Well, I missed. R.J. Decker, Tuesdays, 10, 9 central on ABC. Next day on Hulu. Home of the Save. Join for just $20 at bjs.com slash mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. The schooling. I mean, I doubt if she is, if she's this emanciated that she's been to school. So they're going to have to start there and they're going to have to start to work to earn her trust. But the victim advocate in this case will help her. But in counties like this, they have lots of resources that can be used to help get her back on track or in track to begin with. But that's where the. That's where the serious emotional injury comes into play is that they have caused some serious harm to her psyche. That's going to take for years and years and years to repair. And that's not fair to a 12 year old. No, it's just, it's an awful situation. And it's, it's, you know, it's cliche to say you don't know what's happening behind closed doors. But the amount of times that we have seen cases where that term applies is just really, really disheartening. And it makes you worry about where else. It's, it's happening. And unfortunately, we'll probably be talking about another one again soon. Allie Young, trial attorney. Thank you as always for being with us on Law and Crime. We appreciate it. Of course. Thanks for having me. That will do it for On the Case presented by Law and Crime. Subscribe to us on YouTube and Spotify. We're also streaming on Peacock. I'm Chris Stewart. See you next time.