Northern Michigan parents locked child with special needs in closet for hours a day, police say

(FOX 2) - Two adults from Michigan's Upper Peninsula are facing child abuse charges after an investigation by Child Protective Services.

Colin Irish and his wife Carrie Irish were arrested this week and face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

What we know:

The Marquette County Sheriff's Office took two adults into custody on Feb. 18 after an investigation by Child Protective Services uncovered allegations of abuse against one of their children.

Doctor Collin Irish and his wife Carrie Irish allegedly locked their 10-year-old son with special needs in a closet for several hours a day over several months.

Police first responded to the home on Feb. 17. The following day, both parents were arraigned in 96th District Court in Marquette on second-degree felony child abuse.

Both posted bond and were released from custody and were ordered to not have any contact with any of their kids.

What we don't know:

It's unclear precisely how long the alleged abuse took place or why the parents chose to lock their kid.

The original allegation of abuse was obtained by CPS before police made contact with the parents.

Dig deeper:

According to a news release from the local sheriff's office, the parents forced their son to sleep wearing only underwear and without a mattress, blanket, or pillow.

Instead, he would sleep on the closet floor. Additionally, there were no heating vents, windows, and the closet walls had been modified with plastic sheet panels while a lock was put on the door to keep the child inside.

The child was also forced to clean up the room after urinating and defecating inside, leaving an odor of cleaning chemicals inside.

Child Protective Services placed the parents' kids in foster care while the 10-year-old son was taken to the hospital for possible frostbite.