Six kids found in StorSafe unit, parents charged with neglect

Early on Tuesday, Sept. 16, Milwaukee police discovered six children, including a two-month-old infant, locked inside a storage unit at the StorSafe facility near North 27th Street and Silver Spring Drive, officials said. Officers responded at about 1:36 a.m. after a 911 call and reports of a child crying, and firefighters cut the padlock to open the unit, police and court records show.

Police said the children, ages 2 months, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9, were found uninjured and taken into the care of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services. The Milwaukee Police Department described the situation as a child abuse and neglect incident and said the investigation is active. The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office will review potential charges, a spokesperson said.

Public court records identify the two adults arrested as 33-year-old Charles Dupriest and 26-year-old Azyia Zielinski. Those records list charges including two counts of child neglect and four counts of neglecting a child under 6, and they show Dupriest also faces a charge of criminal possession of a firearm. Reports on the specific number of counts and bond amounts have varied across outlets; court...