By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-11 21:16:20 | Updated at 2026-06-12 05:58:09
9 hours ago
A Nevada woman has been arrested after police discovered makeshift cages inside her home daycare.
Taylor Wendell, 31, was charged with eight counts of child abuse and neglect after a five-year-old boy escaped her Carson City home, about 30 miles south of Reno, on Monday, CarsonNow.org reported.
A neighbor called the Carson City Sheriff's Office when he heard cries coming from outside and saw the boy wailing on the sidewalk.
The responding officers learned the boy had been dropped off at Wendell's daycare earlier that day after his parents found the facility through a Facebook ad.
When confronted by the officers, Wendell said she was 'unaware that [the boy] had left the house,' according to an arrest report obtained by Nevada Appeal.
She allegedly told police no other children were in the home, but when the boy's parents went into the house, they recorded a video of her talking about other kids.
'In the video, Taylor is heard saying the children were making noise, which made it clear that additional children were in the house, which was contradictory to what Taylor told [the officer],' the report said.
Taylor Wendell, 31, was charged with eight counts of child abuse and neglect after a five-year-old boy escaped her Carson City home on Monday
Deputies searched the home and found seven children under the age of five crammed into a room filled with 11 playpens, including two that were stacked on top of each other, with fitted sheets over them that were 'preventing airflow and the kids from exiting,' according to police.
'It should be noted that the items on top of the pack-and-plays appeared to be placed there to prevent the children from climbing out of them,' the officer wrote in the report.
The conditions were so horrific that the officers wrote in the report that they 'froze.' The officers noted it was 'humid and warm' inside the room and 'smelt of fresh poop.'
The children were all returned to their parents, according to the police report.
A video shared on Facebook showed Wendell being taken into custody, and jail records indicate she has since been released.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Carson City District Attorney's Office to inquire whether they plan to file charges against Wendell.
Deputies found seven children under the age of five crammed into a room filled with 11 playpens that 'smelt of fresh poop'
Public records show that Wendell and her husband, Christopher Wendell, own a company called Rise and Shine Beginnings LLC, which operates out of their Carson City home.
However, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, which issues child care licenses, does not list a license for Wendell or her husband.
The Daily Mail contacted Wendell, the Carson City Sheriff's Office and the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services for comment.
