Six Children Found Locked in Milwaukee Storage Unit
This story is both shocking and heartbreaking. In Milwaukee, six children, the youngest only two months old, were discovered locked inside a storage unit in the middle of the night. The police were called around 1:30 a.m. after reports of a child crying could be heard from one of the units at a facility near 27th and Silver Spring. When officers and firefighters cut open the padlock, what they found was deeply disturbing.
Inside the dark, cramped space were six children, ranging in age from just two months to nine years old. There was no electricity, no running water, and no safe place for them to live. Officers described a bucket of urine in the middle of the unit, a strong odor, and only minimal food and drinks like chips and soda scattered around. A sectional couch and a bare mattress were being used for sleeping arrangements. According to the criminal complaint, the oldest child explained that they had been told to care for the younger ones and to stay quiet. The children were unharmed physically, but clearly, they were living in an unsafe and traumatic environment.
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Authorities arrested two adults shortly afterward—26-year-old Azyia Zielinski and 35-year-old Charles Dupriest. They were found sleeping in their SUV in the parking lot of the storage facility while the children were locked inside. Police also discovered a firearm inside the SUV. Both suspects admitted that the children had been staying in the storage unit, sometimes for weeks at a time, since they were evicted from a homeless shelter. Zielinski reportedly told investigators that she had provided the bucket for the children to use as a toilet, and both adults acknowledged that family or friends could have taken the kids in, but instead, they left them in the unit while they themselves slept in the vehicle with their dog.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office has charged the pair with multiple counts of child neglect, and Dupriest faces an additional charge for being a felon in possession of a firearm. During their first court appearances, bond recommendations became a point of outrage. A commissioner openly criticized the suggestion of a $1,000 bond, calling it far too lenient given the seriousness of the situation. Eventually, Zielinski’s bond was set at $5,000 cash, and Dupriest’s at $20,000. Their next court dates are scheduled for later this month.
Community members have been shaken by the discovery. One local resident told reporters that the news “touched her heart” and said these children had been failed. The Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services has stepped in to provide care and services for the children.
While this case continues through the legal system, it serves as a painful reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by children in unstable housing situations. The fact that six young lives were being lived inside a locked storage unit is something the community—and the courts—will not soon forget.
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