"John and Joe Doe" - 5 and 7 yo (Autistics)/ Accused: John Eckhart and Alayna Higdon - Vancouver WA

Det. Kevin Allais has been a child abuse detective for much of his 22 year career.
But the case of John Eckhart and Alayna Higdon shocked even him.
The two are accused of caging two young autistic boys in a darkened room at
their Vancouver apartment.
"I've never seen anything like it," said Allais.
"The paint throughout the room had been picked off. They had slowly,
methodically picked away at the drywall and paint," Allais said.
"There appeared to be food splattered on the walls. In fact, there were little hand-prints
of food or feces that were in the drywall and along the window sill."
They boys are 5 and 7 years old. Police said the only furniture in the room
was a toddler-sized race car bed. There were no blankets or pillows.
The boys were discovered by employees of the apartment complex during a routine maintenance inspection.
One of the workers told investigators the apartment was "very cluttered,
like one step away from being a hoarder," according to the search warrant.
"I heard wailing, kind of like a cross between crying and whining,
and it was then I asked John, 'What are you doing?'" the employee told detectives.
"I shouldn't have said that, because he stared hard at me."
Eckhart, 30, and Higdon, his 26-year-old fiancee, were arrested last week
and charged on Monday with unlawful imprisonment.
Detectives said the couple used metal shelving to create a makeshift caged door in
the room. The door was locked with a clip like one commonly used by mountain climbers.
A wooden gate covered the window, investigators said.
"The whole window tract was filled with fluid. He said that is where the kids spit," an employee told police.
Police said neither of the two boys could speak. They've since been placed in
protective care. The state has also removed two other children who lived
in the apartment. Eckhart.and Higdon will be arraigned on April 27.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/120261094.html

Just for the record: I find this unconscionable and reprehensible!!!
My cousin's daughter's son is an autistic.
Tommy will be 18 soon. I cannot fathom what gets in the minds of caregivers???
Were these their children? If so, there is a special room in the basement of hell reserved for you two...

An affidavit filed by detectives at the Clark County Sheriff’s Office
detailed the conditions they said two autistic boys in Vancouver were
forced to live in. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Detective Kevin Allais. Detective
Allais has been a child abuse detective for much of his 22 year career.
He was among the investigators tasked with collecting evidence against
John Eckart and his fiance Alayna Higdon. They are both accused of
caging two young autistic boys in a darkened room at their Vancouver
apartment. “The paint throughout the room had been picked off.
They had slowly, methodically picked away at the drywall and paint,”
Allais said. “There appeared to be food splattered on the walls. In
fact, there were little handprints of food or feces that were in the
drywall and along the window sill.” They boys are six and seven
years old. Police said the only furniture in the room was a
toddler-sized racecar bed. There were no blankets or pillows. The boys were discovered when employees at the apartment complex did a routine maintenance inspection. One
of the workers told investigators the apartment was “very cluttered,
like one step away from being a hoarder,” according to court documents.

• Read the search warrant affidavit (warning: graphic content)
  

“I
heard wailing, kind of like a cross between crying and whining, and it
was then I asked John ‘what are you doing?’” the employee told
detectives. “I shouldn’t have said that because he stared hard at me.” John Eckart and Alayna Higdon were arrested last week and formally charged on Monday with unlawful imprisonment. Detectives
said the couple used metal shelving to create a makeshift caged door in
the room. The door was locked with a clip like one commonly used by
mountain climbers. A wooden gate covered the window, investigators said. “The whole window tract was filled with fluid. He said that is where the kids spit,” an employee told police. KATU
has tried several times to contact Alayna Higdon for comment. She is
staying with her grandparents. A family member said her lawyer advised
her to not speak with journalists. John Eckhart is still in the Clark County Jail. Police said neither of the two autistic boys could speak. Two other children also living in the home are now with relatives.
http://vancouver.katu.com/news/crime/child-abuse-detective-ive-never-seen-anything-it/439904