Woman forced kids to sleep outside in a tent — no matter the weather, Virginia cops say
A Virginia woman is facing 15 child cruelty and abuse charges after police say she forced two children to sleep in a tent in the dead of winter.
Tiffany Alexandra Antonucci, 52, was arrested Monday, the Suffolk Police Department said in a release.
Police did not release the ages of the children, both boys.
Investigators say police officers went to Antonucci’s home for a welfare check after receiving tips about “alleged abuse and neglect of children.”
Police say the family lives in a cul-de-sac of single-family homes on the south side of Suffolk, about 85 miles southeast of Richmond.
“Upon preliminary investigation (officers) found that two male juveniles were forced to sleep outdoors in a tent regardless of weather conditions as a form of punishment,” police said. “Living conditions within the home were also found to be in poor condition.”
Antonucci faces five counts each of abuse and neglect of children, cruelty and injuries to children, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to police.
Representatives of Suffolk’s Child Protective Services department went to the home and reported the boys showed no signs of injuries, police said.
