Parents and Grandfather Arrested for Locking Kids in Bug-Infested, Freezing Room

Bay County, FL – On December 1st, deputies from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office were called to a home in Panama City, Florida, where Two children were found locked in a roach-infested, freezing room with no heat.

Reportedly, two children, aged four and five, were yelling out of a broken bedroom window, asking for help from neighbors. They said the door was locked, and they needed to use the bathroom.

When authorities arrived at the scene, they saw two children hanging out of the broken window, which had been secured with a nailed-in board.

Upon entering the house, authorities encountered a strong smell of urine and feces emanating from the bedroom where the children were locked.

The children were found locked in the bedroom by a steel cable wrapped around the door handle.

The room reportedly contained a bed with no sheets, a dirt-soiled mattress, filthy blankets, and a single pillow.

The eldest boy, aged five, told authorities he was “freezing” and had lips that were cold to the touch.

Cockroaches were spotted along the floor, ceiling, and walls, and old piles of trash and broken toys were also found at the scene. A dilapidated bedroom window had been patched up with a plank of wood.

The younger boy, aged four, told deputies he was desperate to use the bathroom, explaining that he and his brother had been locked inside but were usually allowed to leave to use the bathroom.

Their parents, Kathy Merrill, 27, and John Merrill, 31, admitted to police that they locked the children in the room at night until they woke up. They said they had been doing this since 2023.

Kathy acknowledged the filthy and horrible conditions of the room, saying she had no energy to clean.

The parents reportedly claimed they were trying to teach their children to clean their own room.

The paternal grandfather, Michael L. Beaubien, 73, also lived in the home in the bedroom next to the children’s. During an interview, the grandfather stated he was aware of the children’s living conditions and that they were locked in their bedroom.

Kathy and John were both arrested and charged separately with two counts of child neglect. Their paternal grandfather, Michael L. Beaubien, was charged with failing to report child neglect, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.