Ten children found living with their parents amid human faeces and rotten food were “sadistically tortured” at a home in northern California, authorities said.
Ina Rogers denied she or her husband abused their offspring, but police in the city of Fairfield said they had suffered puncture wounds, burns, bruising and injuries consistent with being shot with a pellet gun.
Aged four months to 12 years, the children were rescued on 31 March after Ms Rogers contacted authorities in the city around 46 miles northeast of San Francisco, to report her oldest child was missing.
When officers went to the home, they found it in a filthy condition, lieutenant Greg Hurlbut said.
“Officers located unsafe and unsanitary living conditions including garbage and spoiled food on the floor, animal and human faeces and a large amount of debris making areas of the house unpassable,” he said.
Authorities described injuries to the children, including some that appeared to have been caused by someone shooting a pellet gun.
The father, 29-year-old Jonathan Allen, was arrested last week after the children were interviewed. He has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of torture and nine counts of felony child abuse. He was held on $5.2 million (£3.84m) bail.
The children did not require medical attention when they were removed, but stories about abuse came out gradually after his arrest.
Eight of the children told professionals about incidents dating back several years, authorities said.
Sharon Henry, chief deputy district attorney for Solano County, said she was “horrified” by the statements from the children and that torture was carried out in the house “for sadistic purposes.” She declined to elaborate.
“It literally breaks your heart, and you’re outraged by how a parent or anyone could commit those acts,” Ms Henry said.
Ms Rogers was arrested on suspicion of neglect last month and released after posting $10,000 (£7,380) bail. She denies her husband abused the children.
“There’s no broken bones, there is no major scars, nothing,” Ms Rogers told reporters in front of her house. “My kids get bumped and bruised and scratched because they’re kids but that’s it.”
Ms Rogers gave journalists a tour of the house, a four-bedroom home with scuffed walls and animal faeces in the bathroom.
