Charles A. Dupriest, 33, and Azyia C. Zielinski, 26, are facing six counts each of child neglect after their six children were discovered alone inside a locked storage unit in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The incident came to light around 1:33 a.m. in the early hours of Tuesday, September 16, 2025.
The Milwaukee Police Department officers had responded to a call from a concerned citizen who reported hearing a child crying from inside a unit at the Storsafe facility on North 27th Street.
Upon arrival, first responders confirmed they could hear a child’s cries coming from unit B58, which was secured with a heavy padlock.
A crew from the Fire department had to be called in to cut the lock before responding officers could gain entry.
When first responders finally entered the unit, they found six children, between the ages of two months old and nine years old, alone in the cramped space.
There was reportedly a single bucket in the middle of the room, which police said contained urine and was being used as a toilet by the children.
According to The criminal complaint sighted by Law&Crime, the storage unit was very dim and "the only light visible to the children came through the crack of the garage door."
The responding officers also reported that the smell from inside the unit was "so putrid they could not remain inside even with the garage door open."
The eldest child, who was a nine-year-old boy, was able to provide officers with his parents' names. He also told detectives that he was responsible for caring for his five younger siblings when the parents were away.
"[The 9-year-old] reported that he stays at the storage unit about 50% of the time and that they use a bucket to urinate and defecate," the affidavit says.
He also told police he was hungry and had no way to contact anyone for help in an emergency.
Just before 2:30 a.m., police located Dupriest and Zielinski in the parking lot of the storage facility.
They were found fast asleep in their Ford Expedition SUV, and their dog was with them in the vehicle.
Officers noted that the middle seats of the car was completely empty while all of their children were locked in the storage unit.
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| The Storage Facility |
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| Inside the storage unit they were kept |
The couple told authorities they were "homeless," but admitted the children could have been staying with other family members instead of the storage locker.
In a later interview with detectives, the couple's five-year-old daughter expressed her sadness and anger about the situation.
She said she "felt 'sad' when locked in the storage unit and 'mad' so she made the unit dirty."
She also told detectives that she was upset that the family dog got to sleep in the car while she and her siblings were forced to stay in the unit.
An employee at the storage facility told investigators he had heard a male voice from inside the same unit back in May, saying "Sit down and be quiet."
He also said he reported the incident to management after he reviewed surveillance footage that showed the children being dropped off at the unit by their parents.
Dupriest faces an additional charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm after the five-year-old told detectives her father carried a gun on his hip.
The children have now been placed in the care of child protective services, and they are now safe.
Dupriest and Zielinski are currently being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on $10,000 and $10,500 bonds, respectively. They are expected to appear in court later this week.
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