A Marquette Township physician and his wife face child abuse charges, after allegedly locking their special needs child in a squalid closet.
Marquette County sheriff’s deputies entered the family home on Monday in conjunction with a Child Protective Services investigation.
Deputies said that 57-year-old Dr. Colin Irish and his wife, 49-year-old Carrie Irish, had been locking their special needs child in the closet “for several hours a day over a period of several months.”
CPS alleges that the parents forced the child to sleep on the closet floor wearing only underwear, and refused to provide a mattress, blanket or pillow.
Officials said there were no heating vents or windows in the closet, and that the walls were modified with plastic sheet panels, linoleum floors and a lock on the outside of the door to prevent the child from leaving.
According to the release, “The child had defecated and urinated in the room multiple times and was then forced to clean it leaving a strong odor of cleaning solution in the air.”
CPS removed all three minor children from the Irish home, and has placed them in temporary foster care. The special needs child was taken to UPHS-Marquette and treated for possible frostbite on his feet.
Dr. Irish has been suspended from his position at the Iron County Medical Care Facility, where he had been medical director and an attending physician. In a social media post, facility owner Theoria Medical said they are moving quickly to find a replacement, and residents of the facility still have access to immediate medical care.
As that story broke, two other horrific situations came to light downstate. In Pontiac, three children were found living in squalor by themselves. Officials say the children’s mother lived elsewhere, and occasionally dropped off some food. Trash and human waste were piled up, and plumbing was not working.
And a memorial service was held yesterday in Detroit for two children who apparently froze to death. Police say the two, along with their mother, grandmother and three other children, were living in a van parked in a casino ramp. Sometime during the night on February 10th, the engine stopped, and the heat went out.