An upstate New York mom kept her 2-year-old son trapped inside a filthy homemade cage – and didn’t bother taking him to a doctor after he allegedly tumbled down the stairs, state police said Thursday.
Naesha Lumpkin, 24, is facing child endangerment charges after troopers made the shocking discovery inside her Buffalo home in February – but dodged more serious charges after the toddler was found with injured ribs and bruising on his face and body, police said in a press release.
“This child was inside a makeshift age – a playpen that was covered by a piece of a crib tied down on three sides to top, not allowing the child to stand or exit the playpen,” the release said.
“The cage and 2-year-old were covered in human fecal matter,” cops said. “There was fecal matter on the walls. The child and being were soaked in urine and fecal matter.”
Troopers discovering the gruesome scene on Feb. 8 took the boy to Oishei’s Children’s Hospital in the upstate city, where he was found to be bruised and with two broken ribs.
The fractured ribs were partially healed and likely happened 10 days to two weeks earlier, police said.
Lumpkin was interviewed and told investigators her son had fallen down the stairs.
Earlier this month, Erie County prosecutors and the state police Bureau of Criminal Investigation opted not to file additional charges for Lumpkin, who is due back in court next month.
She has been referred to a court-ordered counseling program, according to court records.
Lumpkin’s attorney, Susan Marie Karalus, told The Post Thursday that the case is pending in court and that she is “attempting to get a fair resolution” to the case.
The case is also the subject of Family Court proceedings, which are not public.
