Bodycam reveals police finding abused children in cages at Vegas home

One of the boys said he spent ‘all day, every day’ inside the cage

An image from Las Vegas Metro Police body camera footage showing two children locked inside a cage at a Las Vegas apartment (screengrab/Las Vegas Metro Police)

Police captured the disturbing images of children locked in a cage when they raided a home in the Las Vegas metro area.

On Sunday, 11 June, police searched a one-bedroom, one-bathroom home near Flamingo Road and Valley View Boulevard near Las Vegas, according to a report.

When they entered, they found six children — two who were locked in a cage — who had suffered severe abuse, according to doctors who examined them afterward. Police said it was the worst case of child abuse and neglect they had ever encountered, reports CBS 8.

Law enforcement was called to a convenience store earlier that day in response to a woman, Amanda Stamper, 33, who was reportedly hiding from her husband, Travis Doss, 31, who she said had "threatened to kill her."

Ms Stamper told police that they would find the children in a deplorable condition when they entered the apartment.

The children locked in the cage — aged nine and 11 — were padlocked inside. One of the children inside had "two black eyes that were swollen shut, multiple marks and bruises all over his body, and he was emaciated," according to police.

Mr Doss has been indicted on 40 charges by a Clark County grand jury. Those charges included several for child abuse, according to court records. Ms Stamper was indicted on seven child abuse charges.

Mr Doss's seven children lived at the house. Police removed six of them.

Ms Stamper told investigators that he had been "violent towards all the children" except the two-year-old. She further claimed that he beat the children with "belts, extension cords, skillets, his hands and feet," according to police.

"Amanda said all the children are covered with marks from their neck down," a report states.

Mr Doss allegedly told Ms Stamper he believed one of the boys in the cage had died because he had "kicked him in the head too hard."

Travis Doss, 31, was incited on 40 counts, including several for child abuse, after police found six children in his Las Vegas apartment with signs of abuse, including two who had been locked in cages (Las Vegas Metro Police)

Ms Stamper reportedly told police she thought the child "looked dead for the last five days."

When police arrived at the apartment, a child answered the door, and police attempted to enter, but the child did not unlock the door. The officer who recorded the footage told the child they were there to check on them and ensure they weren't hurt. The child replies that they're "not hurt we're fine."

Amanda Stamper, 33, was indicted on seven counts of child abuse (Las Vegas Metro Police)

"I can't leave until I physically see you sweetie, please answer the door," the officer responds.

A maintenance worker at the facility eventually convinces the child to open the door, allowing police inside.

As police struggle to open the padlock on the cage, another child tells them that their father had instructed them not to open the door for strangers.

An 11-year-old who was reportedly severely beaten told police that he had not eaten in several days.

“He kept saying that he was always hungry and that’s why he stole and then he said it’s food that’s in the trash can so how is that even stealing,” a detective testified to a grand jury. “And he kept saying that he needed big food because he was a big boy now and that he would have to share like one large fry from McDonald’s with like all six kids, his six siblings I mean, and just that he was never really fed and that’s why he stole.”

An image from Las Vegas Metro Police body camera footage (screengrab/Las Vegas Metro Police)

The child explains that his father hit him in the face because he was trying to squeeze through the bars, as he "didn't do anything" and "was freaking out."

A detective told the grand jury the boy said he had been locked in the cage "all day every day."

In the video an officer consoles the child and assures him he was not a bad kid, but was simply in a bad situation.

“You’re not a bad kid, this is just a really crappy situation,” the officer says. “And we’re going to get you some help and this is not going to happen again.”

Mr Doss reportedly admitted to investigators that he "beat [the child] pretty bad" but insisted that he had "no choice."

Mr Doss is being held and his bail was originally set at $250,000, before being raised to $500,000 following his indictment. Ms Stamper is being held without bail due to a probation violation.

Both have pleaded not guilty to their charges.