State authorities have suspended the license of a Colorado Springs daycare after 26 children – all under age 3 – were found behind a false wall in the owner’s basement.
Faith was not arrested “as detectives pursue appropriate charges,” according to CBS Denver.
After a complaint regarding the number of children being housed at Play Mountain Place, the Department of Human Services (DHS) asked the Colorado Springs Police Department to assist with a welfare check at the facility on Wednesday.
When officers arrived on the scene, they did not find any children inside. They attempted to contact Faith at her home, which is on the same property, but the owner refused to cooperate.
Officers, however, could still hear some of the children making noise — directing them to a false wall that led to the basement where they were being held, police officials told Fox 31 Denver.
“During their investigation, officers found a false wall that led to the home’s basement,” investigators told the outlet. “When officers walked down the stairs, they located two adults and 26 kids inside a finished basement, all of [whom] were under the age of 3 years old.”
After the incident, officers started working alongside the DHS to get the children back with their families.