ROCKVILLE, Md. - Police said a couple is facing imprisonment and abuse charges after their 22-year-old autistic twins were found locked in the family's basement.
It all started Thursday morning when Montgomery County Police went to the house to serve a warrant for an unrelated incident.
According to the State's Attorney's Office, as officers walked through the home, they stumbled upon a door in the basement that was bolted shut from the outside.
Officers unlocked the door and went inside. According to authorities, they found the twins in that room, they say, had an overwhelming smell of urine.
The room had no furniture, only a comforter sitting on the hard tile floor. There was one light in the room that did not function.
According to State's Attorney's documents, the parents, John and Janice Land, told police that the twins suffered from autism. The twins were non-verbal and could only communicate by pointing. The parents claimed they were locked in the room to prevent them from leaving the house, as they had a history of leaving.
The house is condemned and the twins are being evaluated. The parents are now out of jail on bond.
Neighbors did not know much about the twins. Some knew nothing.
'I had only heard from my boyfriend's landlady that they existed. I had never seen them before, never seen them out front,' said Sarah Silberto, one of the Lands' neighbors.
Chris King, another one of the Lands' neighbors said,'I had no idea they were ever there.'
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Entities 0 Name: Md. Count: 1 1 Name: ROCKVILLE Count: 1 2 Name: Sarah Silberto Count: 1 3 Name: Chris King Count: 1 4 Name: Montgomery County Count: 1 5 Name: Janice Land Count: 1 6 Name: John Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1nPhMOC Title: Maryland parents accused of keeping autistic sons locked in basement Description: A Rockville, Maryland couple has been arrested and charged with locking their 22-year-old autistic twin sons in the basement of their home. Montgomery County police told WTTG-TV that the room had no lights, a strong smell of urine, and only a single comforter was provided for the men to sleep on.
