Porucha Phillips, 34, was arrested in San Antonio after concerned neighbors called cops at 11.45pm on Thursday night to reports of a child that would not stop crying.
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| Porucha Phillips, 34, was arrested and charged with two felony counts of injuring a child after police found two toddlers tied up in the backyard of her San Antonio, Texas, home |
When officers arrived they discovered a two-year-old boy and three-year-old girl suffering from a fractured arm tied up in the back yard by a chain and a dog leash.
Officers said the boy had a chain tied around one ankle with the other end secured to the ground, while the girl was secured to the frame of the back door by a leash.
James Keith, spokesman for Bexar County Sheriff's Office, told KENS5 that when police forced their way inside the house where they found six more children left without an adult at home.
Those infants, who are believed to be Phillips' children, are aged between 10 months and 13 years old, according to Keith.
He said: 'They were exhausted, tired, dehydrated. There was evidence that they had been previously abused, it makes you sick to see something like this, it makes you angry.
'To call this horrific is an understatement, this is as disturbing as it comes. Everybody is bothered by this. It motivates you to fight harder to make sure this is taken care of.'
The toddlers found in the back yard are not thought to belong to Phillips, and detectives are currently hunting for their parents.
A neighbor who wished to remain anonymous, said Phillips' friend had dropped off the two infants about six months ago, according to Express News.
Phillips and another adult, believed to be the father of the six children in the home, returned to the property in the early hours of Friday morning where they were arrested.
Phillips faces two felony charges on two counts of injury to a child, Keith confirmed.
Those close to the investigation told My San Antonio that the father, who is not married to Phillips, has not been charged because he was at work while the children were left alone.
Investigators also revealed that Phillips is claiming she never restrained the two children in her back yard, and they were simply dumped there by their parents.
She is claiming she intended to take the children to a fire station and turn them over because she was unable to care for them.
It is thought that Phillips was supposed to be caring for the two children found in her back yard, but her exact relationship to the infants and their parents is unknown.
The girl and boy in the yard were taken to hospital where the girl was placed into intensive care, according to Fox San Antonio.
The girl is reported to be suffering from a fractured arm and wrist, while the boy has abrasions and scarring.
KBOI2 reports that Phillips is originally from Sacramento, California, while records show she was in Las Vegas for a time, and was also arrested for soliciting prostitution in Reno, Nevada, in 2003.
It is thought that Phillips moved to San Antonio in October, and during the same month police were called out seven times for a disturbance, animal cruelty and burglary.
Chris Tippery, who lives nearby, told My San Antonio: 'They didn't come out much. They keep (the kids) in the house for the most part.
'Sometimes you would see them outside in their diapers. They seemed like all right people.'
All eight children have now been placed into child protective custody, while investigations continue. Phillips is in custody pending a $150,000 bond.
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