Loving parents have a hard time imagining watching any child suffer at the hands of their own mom or dad. But a rural Pennsylvania community was given a stark reminder of just how bad it could get. The community learned of a truly horrific child abuse case happening in their backyards after five kids were rescued from a home.
Parents Dominic Zungali and Zoe Zungali, both 31, and aunt, 18-year-old Gillian Bem, currently face two counts of false imprisonment, five counts of endangering the welfare of children, and five counts of cruelty to animals, after a 7-year-old boy was found wandering the streets looking “disheveled,” reports Law & Crime.
Altoona-based CBS-affiliate WTAJ reported that John Lemon, a Blair County resident, was taking his dog for a walk when he spotted the boy. He claimed that the boy was covered in urine and shoeless.
“He was really distraught and confused and very scared-looking … so I asked the boy, like, ‘Where’s your mommy and daddy?'” he told the outlet. The boy didn’t respond and then began backing up to a busy street.
“So I ran down the street, and I caught him, pretty much — I ran into the intersection to catch him. And I got a hold of him, and I tried to calm him down and tell him, ‘It’s going to be OK.'”
According to the Altoona Mirror, when officers were able to figure out who his parents were and went to the boy’s home, the parents and Zoe Zungali’s sister, Bem, claimed they didn’t realize he had escaped.
It was then police say they discovered a truly stomach-turning scene. In addition to exposed wire, ripped drywall, and an overwhelming smell of urine, police report they found a filthy crib with a clearly neglected child, surrounded by soiled blankets, moldy sippy cups, and toys.
Walking through the home, police reportedly then discovered another small child in a crib while two more were found inside cribs turned into makeshift cages. The cribs were zip-tied to prevent the kids from leaving. They appeared to be suffering from malnutrition, while one child was reportedly showing signs of a bowel obstruction. Their ages ranged from roughly 2 to 5 years old.
After getting the children food, which they reportedly devoured ravenously, an investigation determined that the children routinely were kept in those makeshift cages up to about 20 hours a day.
The three are set for separate preliminary hearings starting July 31, 2025.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child), or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
