Miami-Dade father arrested, accused of starving and locking up his two children, deputies say

A northeast Miami-Dade father was arrested Tuesday after authorities said he starved his two children because he believed the government was putting stuff in their food.

According to his arrest report, Wendy Louis, 40, also locked the children in their bedrooms for days at a time, forcing them to use a bucket as a toilet and withholding schooling from them. 

Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputies responded to Louis's home on Northeast 175th Street on Tuesday to conduct a welfare check after family members contacted law enforcement, the report said. 

The relatives said that the children reached out, telling them that they had not been fed in days, were locked inside their rooms, were forbidden from using the bathroom, and were forced to drink water directly from the shower head. 

When deputies arrived and interviewed both victims, the children confirmed the horrific conditions, the report said, as routinely going days without food because their father claimed "the government is putting stuff in the food"; they were locked inside their rooms for days at a time and forced to use a bucket as a toilet. They also described that their father didn't allow them to shower daily and forced them to drink the shower water when they were thirsty. 

They also told law enforcement, according to the report, that they had not attended school since August 2023, when Louis withdrew them from classes, and that they were not receiving any form of homeschooling. 

Deputies on scene noted in the report that both children appeared "extremely small and thin for their age," with unkempt and matted hair. The kids' ages were not clear in the report. 

Upon being taken into custody, Louis refused to be interviewed by investigators. Authorities noted he failed to provide necessary care, supervision, food, and medical oversight to maintain his children's physical and mental health.

He is facing charges of child neglect, domestic violence, and resisting an officer without violence. His bond was set for the two charges of child neglect without great bodily harm at $5000, and a judge ordered him to stay away from the children. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, he remains behind bars at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.