Parents locked adult autistic twin sons in basement

[Anthony]

A Rockville, Maryland couple have been arrested and charged with locking their 22-year-old twin sons, who are autistic, in a dungeon-like enclosure in their basement.
According to the police report, two officers were serving a search warrant at 5 a.m. in an unrelated case found the two boys. While they were in the house, they saw a door that led to the basement with an external deadbolt. They opened it, went downstairs and found the two young men, according to court records.
Police discovered the sons in the urine-stench basement with very little furniture. They didn't have working electricity. The only source of light came from a tiny window high on the wall.
John Land told police he and his wife were only trying to keep the twins from running away during the night. He stated his sons had left the home in the past and that their sons could not provide for their daily needs. The boys were said to be nonverbal, only communicating by pointing to or grabbing objects they wanted.
Janice Land told police she wasn't aware of her husband’s practice. “If someone locked them in the room, I didn’t know about it,†she reportedly told investigators.
"Janice stated that her sons have a history of eloping from the house and to combat that situation, she had locks installed on all the exterior doors preventing them from leaving the house," police said.
John Land also told authorities that they recently had removed furniture from the basement bedroom because it was soiled, according to court documents. He indicated that they were planning on buying new furniture when they could afford it.
The parents would lock up their boys from 10 p.m. to 4:45 a.m. every night for the last six years, according to police.
Police asked the parents how would they know if their boys needed anything, they allegedly said that their screaming would eventually wake them.
[video=youtube_share;fzmPnIiFM2s]http://youtu.be/fzmPnIiFM2s[/video]
Neighbors were shocked when they heard the news.
"We obviously didn't know anything about that, and we certainly would have done something if we had," neighbor Natalie Larson said. "I work with kids with disabilities, and the kids I work with are certainly not in basements, so that's really upsetting."
"It's shameful really," neighbor Sam French added. "That's not parenting. I mean that's just locking someone up for God's sakes. That's like being a jailer. Who would do that to their children?"
Paramedics took the two boys from the home and transported them for medical evaluation, according to police.
Both parents were arraigned in Montgomery County Court on Friday on two counts each of vulnerable adult abuse and attempted false imprisonment.
They were released on bond. They are due back in court on Sep. 2.
The family home has been condemned by city inspectors and the couple are currently living in a hotel.

 

[Muthoni]

This is another case of overwhelmed parents who did not know how to ask for help. Maybe they thought they were doing this for the benefit of everyone. They did not put into consideration how it was affecting their twins. I hope that the twins find help to improve the quality of their lives.