Cops: Autistic Woman Kept Outside in Crate

A Louisiana sheriff says two men and three women are accused of keeping an autistic woman outdoors with only a kennel-like crate as her shelter and planning to use her as a prostitute. Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said Thursday that investigators searched the house last week after a report of a woman in a cage, reports the AP. He says authorities found the woman in the back yard near the crate draped with a blue tarp. Investigators say the woman appeared malnourished and often was locked in the crate at night to keep her from wandering away. The accused face charges of human trafficking and cruelty to the infirm. (More Louisiana stories.)