KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 24-year-old mother is in custody Saturday after her two young children were found barefoot, dirty and living in a wooden shipping crate in an underground cave on the eastern edge of Kansas City. Brittany Mugrauer was charged Friday night with two counts of felony child endangerment. The children were taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital, where they were evaluated, bathed and given clean clothes.
Mugrauer told investigators her children had been living in the cave for several days and acknowledged leaving them there alone, the probable-cause statement says. She was taken into custody Friday afternoon and has not yet appeared in court.
The officers were investigating a possible chop shop, where stolen vehicles are dismantled. Many of the caves feature paved roads, utilities and developed business space, while others, such as the one where the children were found, consist of dirt floors and uncontrolled entrances.
The Associated Press
