Two Children Beaten With Belts and Skillets Found Locked in Dog Crates in Las Vegas: Police

A couple in Las Vegas was arrested and charged with multiple counts of child abuse and neglect after six children were found suffering from abuse that included two of them getting locked up inside dog crates, according to authorities.

According to KLAS, police said one of the children, an 11-year-old boy, was unable to get out of the kennel on his own when officers rescued him and had “two black eyes that were swollen shut, multiple marks and bruises all over his body, and he was emaciated."

The children were taken to a local hospital for medical care and a doctor said the child would have died had he not received medical treatment. The boy was hospitalized in critical condition, but all six children had scars and marks all over their bodies, KLAS reported.

Police said 31-year-old Travis Doss told them he “beat [the child] pretty bad” but he had “no choice,” court records state. Doss allegedly told police he beat the children with belts, cords, a skillet and his hands. He also said he allowed a set of triplets to beat one of the other children.

According to court records, the two children were locked in the kennels to prevent them from stealing food at night.

On June 11, employees at a Walgreens found 33-year-old Amanda Stamper and a 2-year-old hiding in a storeroom and notified police. Stamper told police she was hiding from her husband, Doss, who allegedly had threatened to kill her.

According to KSNV, Doss was upset with Stamper after she refused to help take care of the other children because she wasn’t their mother. Stamper is the mother of the 2-year-old, but not the other six children.

Authorities said the 2-year-old did not show signs of abuse and Doss told police he didn’t beat that child and never saw Stamper abuse any of the children.

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On June 10, Doss allegedly told Stamper that he thought the 11-year-old boy was dead after he “kicked him in the head too hard.” Stamper told police the boy “looked dead for the last five days,” KSNV reported.

Doss and Stamper were charged with six counts each of child abuse or neglect resulting in substantial bodily harm, officials said. Doss was also charged with sex trafficking and attempted murder.

While Stamper is not accused of abusing the children, prosecutors said she witnessed the abuse and did nothing to stop it.

Doss was being held on a $250,000 bond and Stamper was given a $120,000 bond, officials said.