A 5-year-old boy found naked and wandering in the middle of a Pennsylvania road led authorities to uncover what investigators describe as a nightmarish scene inside a nearby home — a bedroom door secured with drilled wooden boards, a baby gate held together by numerous zip ties and duct tape, feces smeared on walls, and hundreds of flies buzzing through garbage-filled rooms.
Background
Pennsylvania State Police responded on July 10 at approximately 7:30 a.m. to the intersection of Quarry Road and South Lancaster Street in Swatara Township after good Samaritans reported finding the young boy walking alone in the roadway. The township is located roughly 95 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
Officers transported the child to a hospital for evaluation before determining he had escaped from a residence on North Poplar Street in the same township. When investigators visited that home, they encountered what police described as hoarder conditions: trash throughout the living space, hundreds of flies, and limited room to navigate due to accumulated clutter.
The investigation led officers to one particular bedroom — the boy's. A baby gate had been affixed to the exterior of the door frame and secured with numerous zip ties and duct tape. Above that gate, investigators observed miscellaneous wood boards drilled directly into the door frame.
"Feces was observed to be smeared on the walls, feces smeared on the bedroom window, a bed was observed to be torn apart with food all over it, trash was observed on the floor, hundreds of flies flying around the bedroom and the residence, along with various children's toys scattered throughout," Pennsylvania State Police said in court documents.
The Charges
Jade Shuey, 21; Stephanie Schaffner, 42; and Tucker Heagy, 20, have each been charged with endangering the welfare of a child. All three suspects were arrested and booked into Lebanon County Prison following preliminary arraignments held on Saturday.
During interviews with investigators, Shuey allegedly stated that the boy spent approximately 90 percent of his day confined to the room and sometimes remained there for up to three consecutive days without leaving. The child was reportedly fed through the gate and received baths only once a week — "if that," according to WGAL.
Heagy reportedly told police that when they needed to release the boy from confinement, they had to cut five to 10 zip ties to open the gate. Investigators allege the suspects purchased zip ties in bulk from a local hardware store because they went through so many securing and unsecuring the child.
None of the three defendants have been able to post bail as of publication. Their respective relationships to the child victim remain unclear from court records.
Key Takeaways
- Three suspects — Jade Shuey, Stephanie Schaffner, and Tucker Heagy — face child endangerment charges in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
- Police allege the 5-year-old boy was confined to his bedroom with wooden boards drilled into the door frame and a gate secured by zip ties and duct tape
- Investigators describe hoarder conditions inside the home: trash throughout, hundreds of flies, feces smeared on walls and a window
- The child allegedly spent up to three days at a time in the room, was fed through the gate, and bathed only once weekly
- All three suspects remain incarcerated without bail pending further court proceedings
What's Next
All three defendants are scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on July 23. The case remains under investigation by Pennsylvania State Police. Authorities have not disclosed whether child protective services have been involved or the current status of the victim's placement.