N.M. couple arrested after 8-year-old girl found locked in cage, police say

(CBS/AP) ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Cindy Patriarchias and her live-in boyfriend, Edmond Gonzales, were arrested after allegedly locking their soon-to-be adopted daughter in a cage on Friday, CBS affiliate KRQE reports.

Patriarchias, 33, and Gonzales, 37, are both charged with child abuse.

Police say they received a call that the 8-year-old was being left home alone Jan. 25. When officers responded to the scene, they searched the home and found the girl inside a wooden cage that measured about 2 feet by 5 feet, KRQE reports.

The mother told police she left the girl in the cage while she took her other three kids to watch a movie, according to the station.

Police say Patriarchias was in the process of adopting the 8-year-old who suffers from microcephaly, a condition that leaves a person's head much smaller than normal. The condition also results in developmental problems, the station says.

The girl didn't appear to have any physical injuries, police said. She was placed under the care of New Mexico's child-protection agency.