Jania Ashlynn
A woman from the Bronx and her boyfriend are facing abuse charges after the police discovered her two preschool-aged daughters locked in a room. The room was filthy, and the girls were naked, bruised, and alone. They were found while eating pieces of a mattress.
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Incident Details
District Attorney Darcel D. Clark has released a statement outlining charges against Stephanie Grabowski, 40, and her boyfriend Mark Russell, 45.
“The defendants allegedly kept these little girls in a house of horrors,” Clark shared. “They illegally occupied an apartment and left the children alone without food or clothing. Fortunately, police rescued the girls, and a nurse discovered signs of abuse for which they are being treated. The situation is beyond the pale.”
Grabowski and Russell were accused of being “squatters”in an apartment. The district attorney charged them with various crimes, including second-degree kidnapping, second-degree unlawful imprisonment, second-degree burglary, and endangering the welfare of two children. Additionally, Grabowski was charged with two counts of first-degree kidnapping.
In early May, the police were carrying out an operation to clear out the apartment building of individuals who were known to be squatters. During this operation, they stumbled upon a shocking discovery- two young girls locked inside one of the rooms.
Additional Statement
“The apartment was in terrible condition with urine and feces about the place and there did not appear to be sufficient food, amenities, clothing or clean diapers,” the press release read. “The officers observed the doorknob of a bedroom and doorknob of an adjacent closet door tied together with a ropelike cord.”
Authorities “kicked in the bedroom door and found two girls naked and bruised on a filthy sponge-like mattress on the floor, and feces, dirty diapers and garbage throughout the room. One officer observed the children to be eating pieces of the mattress.”
When the young girls were examined, medics found “significant bruising and marks in various stages of healing, rashes throughout their bodies and difficulties walking, standing and speaking.”
Grabowski’s bond was set at $400,000, while Russell’s was set at $200,000. They are scheduled to appear in court again in September.
