LANSING, Mich. – Court documents from a July 18 hearing allege 32-year-old Yenier Conde and his then wife, 28-year-old Sarah Conde, abused their children for six years before they were taken away in 2017.
A Lansing police detective described the dark room they were locked in for up to two days at a time as a dungeon. The children -- now aged 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11 -- had no food or water for lengths of time and were forced to use a closet as a bathroom.
The 10-year-old, who was diagnosed with the high-risk brain cancer neuroblastoma and went into remission at age 2, had stopped going to doctors appointments and at least once was sent to school in dirty diapers.
Three of the children had to have rotting teeth pulled.
According to authorities, the oldest child told police their mother forced them to all to stand in a line and laughed as she pointed a loaded gun at the children, threatening to shoot them for bad behavior.
What police allege happened in the house is horrific, but some neighbors -- including one who lived with the family for three months -- aren't buying it.
"None of that stuff happened," Heaven Peterson, who lived with the Condes, said.
Peterson admits Child Protective Services had been called to the Condes' home several times since 2009, but has never seen any sign of abuse.
"I didn't believe it because I lived there and I didn't understand why they were being put on blast like that," Peterson said. "They are very kind-hearted people."
A psychiatrist has evaluated the children and determined that all five have suffered serious psychological abuse and some are dealing with PTSD and mood disorders.
Sarah Conde is currently in the Ingham County Jail on a $50,000 bail. Yenier Conde is also facing charges, but has not been taken into custody yet.