A mother and father have been arrested for keeping their three children in a plywood box for four years.

Daily Mail reports that?Mona Kirk, 51, and Daniel Panico, 73 were taken into custody in Joshua Tree, California, on on suspicion of willful cruelty to a child.

Deputies located a travel trailer, which appeared to be abandoned, and a large rectangular box made of plywood on their property, according to a release from the sheriff’s department.

They then found the children – ages 11,1 3 and 14 – living in squalid conditions.

The victims were found to have an inadequate amount of food and were living in an unsuitable and unsafe environment due to the conditions located on the property. 

Children and Family Service responded to the location and took custody of the three victims.