Parents Arrested After Children Found Locked In Closet

WILKINSBURG (KDKA) -- Two small children are in the custody of Children Youth and Family Services after they were found locked in a closet in Wilkinsburg.

An 8-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy were playing hide-and-seek while home alone at 1313 Chelsea St. They ended up locking themselves in a bedroom closet.

The little girl used a cell phone given to her by her mother to call 911 for help just after 1 p.m. Responders climbed into the house through a window to reach the children.

Police say the children's mother, Denita Grayson, left for work around 7 a.m. She works at a daycare center in the Hill District and took her 2-year-old child with her. Sometimes the children's father, Marcus Cannady, or Grayson's boyfriend, Thomas Nix, comes over to watch the children.

Today, no one was there.

Wilkinsburg Police Sgt. John Snyder told reporters there appears to be a history of leaving the children home alone. He says the mother left a note telling the kids to make breakfast and there were hot dogs in the refrigerator.

Police say it was very clear to them that she knew her actions were wrong.

Grayson and Cannady are facing charges of endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment and are awaiting arraignment at the Allegheny County Jail. A warrant has been issued on similar charges for Nix.

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