HOCKING COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) - A search warrant at a home in South Central Ohio led detectives to find a 3-year-old locked inside a cage and a 2-year-old with a meth pipe.

The parents of the children, Franklin “TJ” Varney, 38, and 25-year-old Megan Smith, are part of a sexual assault investigation, which prompted the search warrant, the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office said.

Varney and Smith fled the Bear Run Road home, abandoning the two kids on Sunday, the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook. They were caught and arrested following a chase near the home on Monday.

The 3-year-old was left in a cage filled with bugs, and the “bedding” inside was soiled, they explained. The child was left with a cup of expired milk, according to the sheriff’s office.

The 2-year-old was walking around the home holding the meth pipe when detectives arrived at the house with the search warrant, the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office said.

The children’s grandmother, 61-year-old Ella Webb, had custody of them, the sheriff’s office said.

They were able to arrest her on a charge of endangering children, according to the Facebook post.

The children have been placed in emergency foster care.

The sheriff’s office said Varney and Smith are both facing felony endangering children charges.

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