Pennsylvania Parents Arrested After Children Found Locked in ‘Dungeon-Like’ Room with Feces, Cameras, and Deadbolts

Mugshot for James Russell Kahl, Mugshot for Carly Kahl

The parents of five children have been arrested in Pennsylvania after authorities discovered the minors locked inside a filthy bedroom described as a “dungeon” with surveillance cameras and deadbolts preventing escape.

Police identified the suspects as James Russell, 65, and Carly Kahl, 41, of Redstone Township. They were taken into custody on August 8 after Pennsylvania State Police responded to their home alongside Fayette County Children and Youth Services (CYS), following a complaint about children living in “deplorable conditions.”

James Russell, 65, and Carly Kahl, 41, have been taken into custody for allegedly locking their five children in a room wired with cameras

Inside the residence, troopers found the children—ranging in age from five to 14—confined to a boarded-up bedroom with feces smeared on the walls, fleas, little food or clothing, and no beds. The criminal complaint stated the father locked the bedroom door from the outside with three deadbolts during the night and part of the day, while cameras were hardwired to another room so the children could be monitored.

“This room functioned as a dungeon,” the complaint read. Trooper Ally Wilson described the discovery as “sickening—the only word I can use to describe what we saw and what those children went through.”

Authorities said Russell refused to remove the locks when questioned, insisting they would remain “for any reason.” The children were immediately removed from the home and placed in CYS care.

James Russell, 65, and Carly Kahl, 41, have been taken into custody for allegedly locking their five children in a room wired with cameras

In interviews, the children claimed their father smoked marijuana daily and neglected them. They also alleged he instructed Carly to use a Taser on one child within the past two weeks.

A search warrant executed on the property Wednesday uncovered a stun gun, a replica pistol, and drugs. Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele confirmed investigators had evidence of the children being kept under surveillance, adding: “There’s no reason to be using a device like a stun gun—less lethal or not—against a child.”

Police were first alerted to the deplorable conditions at the house when they were called on to assist Fayette County Children and Youth Services with an investigation

Aubele praised a “brave family member” who reported the conditions through the state’s ChildLine system. “Law enforcement cannot be in every household every minute of the day. We need people to come forward and think of these children,” he said.

Both Russell and Kahl face charges including endangering the welfare of children, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, use of an incapacitation device, and multiple drug offenses. Court documents show bail has been denied for both.

Police say the parents would sequester the kids to a bedroom with boarded-up windows, feces covering the walls, fleas, a limited amount of food and clothing and no beds

Records reveal Russell’s prior criminal history, including a 2006 harassment conviction, a DUI arrest that same year, and a probation violation in 2012.

Trooper Wilson said she hopes the parents “go to jail and answer for what they’ve done.”