HAMBURG, IOWA – A helpless, developmentally-disabled 4-year-old child escaped a homemade dungeon and was found outside by police covered in excrement, and now the parents and others will face justice.
According to Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope, on August 9, 2024, 78-year-old Elvin Leroy Culley and 61-year-old Martha Karen Perry-Culley, both of Hamburg, Iowa, were both arrested in connection to a case of inhumane treatment of a small child.
Both were charged with:
• Neglect or Abandonment of a Dependent Person, a Class C Felony
• Child Endangerment, an Aggravated Misdemeanor
Both are being held on $10,000 cash bonds.
The case began on July 25, 2024. At approximately 8:53 AM that day, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a small child, alone, near the roadway in the 1700 block of Washington Street in Hamburg, Iowa. Deputies discovered a 4-year-old child, with reported developmental disabilities, covered in filth and a mixture of both human and animal feces outside the residence. Deputies located another child inside the home. Both children were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
Deputies allege that the parents, 26-year-old Dustin Carl Lee Perry and Lindsey Barbara Marie Hamilton, both of Shenandoah, Iowa, left the children in the care of relatives with the direction to keep the 4-year-old in a makeshift cage.
Deputies located the cage in the home constructed out of a pack and play, a baby gate roof, and zip ties. Deputies allege that the child was able to escape from the device and left the home without waking the occupants. Deputies discovered a second homemade cage where it is alleged that the child was kept in a walk-in closet in a home in Shenandoah, Iowa.
Both Perry and Hamilton were arrested and charged with:
• Neglect or Abandonment of a Dependent Person, a Class C Felony
• Child Endangerment, an Aggravated Misdemeanor
Several children were removed from the home by DHS.
Both are being held at the Fremont County Jail without bond, pending initial appearance with Magistrate.
More charges are pending in the case.
Hamburg Rescue, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, and the Shenandoah Police Department assisted with the investigation.
