Six children ranging in age from two months old to 9 years old were found locked inside a storage unit on Milwaukee's north side early Tuesday morning, leading to the arrest of two adults.
Milwaukee police responded to the storage facility at 27th Street and Silver Spring Drive at 1:36 a.m. on Sept. 16, after receiving a report of children being locked in a unit.
There, officers discovered the children — ages 2 months, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 9 — inside the unit, according to police.
A 26-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man were taken into custody in connection with the incident. Police said all of the children were unharmed.
A neighbor who did not want to appear on camera told the Scripps News Group station in Milaukee that she had seen what appeared to be a family with children walking in and around the storage unit since the summer. The neighbor said she observed the group leaving every morning and returning at night.
"I'm shocked, I'm confused, I'm like, you don't see kids in here ever. So how is that possible?" Donnie Earl, who rents a unit at StorSafe, said.
Earl visits the facility daily and said he has never seen children at the location.
"The whole time I've been here, I have never seen any kids," Earl said.
Mac, who keeps his trucking company vehicles at the facility, expressed similar disbelief about the incident.
"Never seen kids walking around here, no. Not at all," Mac said. "That's horrible, you know, where are the parents?"
Mac said he visits the storage facility frequently, sometimes daily, for his business operations.
The StorSafe facility advertises 24/7 surveillance and top-of-the-line security measures, with cameras visible around the property. However, some regular customers questioned the effectiveness of the security.
Watch: Six children found locked in Milwaukee storage unit; two adults arrested
"I'm looking to probably go to another storage unit soon," Mac said.
The facility's on-site manager declined to comment. Attempts to reach StorSafe management through their listed phone number were unsuccessful.
Police have not released details about the relationship between the adults in custody and the children, or the circumstances that led to the children being placed in the storage unit.
The investigation is ongoing.
Charges will be reviewed by the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office.
This story was originally published by the Scripps News Group in Milwaukee.
