A California couple has been arrested for keeping their children in a plywood box in a desert community.

The three children of Mona Kirk, and Daniel Panico, were found living among their own faeces and mounds of rubbish.

According to the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, the victims, ages 11, 13 and 14, were malnourished and had been living in the box for four years.

The couple was arrested for willful cruelty to a child and await bail.

Authorities also found 30 to 40 cats running around the property.

The parents are being held on $USD100,000 bail.

Source: BBC