Five people have been arrested after allegedly keeping an autistic woman in a cage, according to local media reports.
The woman was discovered wandering the backyard of an Amite, Louisiana, home, covered in bug bites and appearing malnourished, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff said in a press release obtained by WDSU. Authorities say they were investigating the property after receiving an anonymous tip.
Authorities believe the woman may have been living in the makeshift shelter, which was located in the backyard, since October 2015, according to WAFB.
"She was often locked in the cage at night in order to keep her from wondering off," the Sheriff's Office said.
Authorities believe the three men and two women planned on transporting the victim "to a specific location with the intention of prostituting her out to multiple male subjects for money."
A 5-gallon bucket was found inside the cage, which the woman was forced to use as a bathroom.
The woman, who has not been identified, was placed in custody of the Louisiana Department of Health, Adult/Elderly Protective Services.
Four children were found living in the home and placed in the care and custody of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services.
"The degree of trauma that somebody like this goes through is probably indescribable, and something I can't imagine," Sheriff Daniel Edwards said at a news conference Friday, according to Fox8. "I would certainly ask that we all keep her in thoughts and prayers."
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
By: Harriet Sokmensuer (People Magazine).
Photo: Fox59.
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