The Georgia woman who authorities say kept her two special needs children in makeshift cages in a northwest Georgia house is out of jail on bond along with another woman charged in the case.
Stephanie Elizabeth Stone, 34, and Wanda Sue Redfern, 49, each got out of the Murray County jail on $25,000 bonds Friday, according to the Murray County Sheriff’s Office.
Stone, the mother of the 11-year-old boy and 8-year-old girl, was arrested Thursday and charged with cruelty to children, false imprisonment and possession of a controlled substance.
Redfern, who was charged with cruelty to children and false imprisonment, was in the Chatsworth house with the two children when a sheriff’s deputy went inside and found the boy in one of two cages.
The deputy investigated and made the discovery Thursday afternoon, on his second visit to the house. He had gone there that morning after a 911 call was received concerning a child left alone. But he found the girl with an adult woman later identified as Redfern and left.
When the same person who had called 911 earlier called again and asked that the house be further investigated, he went back. He met Redfern and the girl and, upon looking inside the house, found the boy in one of two cages. The other cage was empty.
GBI special agent in charge Greg Ramey said it appeared that the children had been kept in the cages over an extensive period of time.
The boy and the girl appeared in good physical condition, Ramey said, and were undergoing further medical examination.
The Division of Family Children Services took custody of the children. DFCS had previously provided services to the family, but it was unclear what type of services. A DFCS spokeswoman said the agency would not elaborate.
The children’s father, who was not present in the house at the time, was informed of the situation.
Ramey said Friday that there could be an additional arrest in the case, but he said Monday that there had not been any.
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