A Michigan couple has been arrested after they allegedly confined their adopted children in dog cages and made them wear a homemade straitjacket.
The Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office announced in a news release that Jessica Klimp pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree child abuse involving two of her adopted children on Monday, May 11.
Jessica, 45, entered the plea after her husband, Jason Klimp, previously pleaded no contest in March to two counts of first-degree child abuse.
The release stated that the couple are the parents of four adopted children and four biological children. The abuse allegations only involve their adopted children and it has not been revealed if their biological children have been abused.
An investigation into the abuse allegations was launched in February 2024 while the family was staying at a rental home in Tennessee. At the time, one of the adopted children was hospitalized with severe dehydration and malnutrition.
Investigators then learned that two of the adopted children were severely underweight, were only fed liquified food and were given supervised access to meals.
Michigan State Police executed a search at the couple’s home in Wexford County after the child was hospitalized, and investigators discovered a homemade straitjacket, dog cages that appeared to have been used to confine the children and security alarms that were attached to a bedroom door.
“Kids deserve to grow up in a loving home free from abuse,” Nessel said in the release. “The cruelty that these children endured is heartbreaking, and while no outcome can erase the trauma, I hope these convictions will provide a sense of justice and healing.”
Jessica and Jason, 47, were originally charged by the Wexford County Prosecutor’s Office in February 2024.
They were also charged in a related Tennessee case, in which both Jessica and Jason pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated child abuse. They were sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to the attorney general’s office.
The couple was later extradited back to Michigan, where they faced the additional charges.
Jessica and Jason’s Tennessee prison terms will run concurrently with the sentences they receive in Michigan, according to prosecutors.
Jason is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, while a date for Jessica’s sentencing hearing has not yet been set.
Both of their parental rights have also been terminated. It is not currently clear who has custody of their kids following their arrests.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
