Wisconsin Couple Arrested for Child Abuse

A couple from Wisconsin has been taken into custody on allegations of severely mistreating their six children. Authorities claim that the children were forced to eat mold, insects, and even dog food, enduring years of starvation and abuse.

Casey Cano, aged 38, and Mary Cano, 35, are facing multiple charges, including six counts of causing great bodily harm through repeated physical abuse and neglect of a child, along with one count for involving a child under the age of 13 in a sexual act.

Prosecutors alleged that from January 2018 until April 2022, the couple repeatedly struck their children with a belt in their home located in Crawford County, resulting in visible injuries like welts and bleeding. They are also accused of denying the children food as a form of punishment.

Details from the criminal complaint reveal that the children described living conditions so dire that they often went days without food, resorting to consuming materials such as mold, insects, dog food, and grass out of desperation. One child mentioned that her brother was made to wear a dirty diaper for three days as punishment.

The authorities intervened and removed the children from the home in April 2022, which was somewhat coincidental to another incident of sexual abuse involving a different child.

Reports indicate that the ages of the children ranged from 1 to 9 at the time of the alleged mistreatment, with some abuses reportedly starting when they were merely three months old.

The charges against Mary Cano include being a “party to a crime,” suggesting that she was complicit by not preventing the alleged abuse. Both Casey and Mary had previously faced convictions in 2022 for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old.

An investigation into the couple’s actions reportedly began last December, leading to their arrest in March. They currently have been released on bail, and their next court date is yet to be set.