Authorities in Arizona have arrested a couple and a relative after a 6-year-old died while he was locked in a closet with his older brother.

The incident was reported last week on Tuesday.

Officials say they responded to a home in the Flagstaff area after receiving a call about an unconscious child.

When authorities arrived, they found the 6-year-old unresponsive and attempted life saving methods on the child.

Despite their efforts, the child was pronounced dead at the scene.

When authorities interviewed the child’s parents and the grandmother, they were told that the parents, 23-year-old Anthony Jose Archibeque-Martinez and 26-year-old Elizabeth Archibeque-Martinez often locked their 6-year-old and his 7-year-old brother in the closest because they both would steal food when the parents went to bed.

Officials reported that both the 6-year-old and the 7-year-old were extremely mal-nourished and neither looked their age.

It was also reported that the couple also had a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old in the home. Both of those children, who are also the biological children of the couple, were said to be in good health. Authorities also reported that the 4-year-old even attended school.

 

The Department of Child Safety says they were never notified about the family which is strange because the community where they live is small and that others would have likely noticed anything that was out of place.

Authorities are now interviewing the small community in which the couple lived in to see if anyone else knew about the abuse.

Both of the parents and the grandmother, 50-year-old Ann Marie Martinez are have been arrested and are facing child abuse and murder charges.

The rest of the children in the household are currently DCF’s custody.