A Wisconsin couple has been accused of starving their six children and leaving them little choice but to eat insects and dog food to stave off their severe hunger.
Casey and Mary Cano have been charged with six counts each of repeated physical abuse of a child causing great bodily harm and child neglect, as well as one count of causing a child under 13 to view or listen to a sex act, according to court records.
Prosecutors claimed that the couple repeatedly beat their children with belts at their home in Crawford County, Wisconsin, from January 2018 until April 2022, according to News 8 Now. The alleged abuse left the kids with welts and caused some to bleed.
Casey, 38, and Mary, 35, were also accused of withholding food from their children as a form of punishment.
Michigan Parents Starved ‘Severely Underweight’ Boys in ‘Horrific’ Child Abuse Case
The children described the abusive living conditions to authorities and claimed that they were prevented from eating for several days straight. The children were allegedly left to eat mold, bugs, dog food and grass due to extreme hunger, according to the criminal complaints viewed by the outlet.
One of the children told authorities that one of their siblings once wore a diaper for three days without it being changed as “punishment,” per News 8 Now.
The complaint also stated that the children were removed from the residence around April 2022 in connection with a separate sexual abuse case involving another child.
The children living in the home ranged between the ages of 1 and 9 in 2018 when the alleged abuse began, according to WXOW. Additionally, it was reported that the alleged beatings began when the children were as young as 3 months old.
Mary has been charged with a “party to a crime” modifier, which means that she did not stop the alleged criminal activity from happening.
The recent arrest comes after Casey and Mary were convicted of the sexual assault of a 12-year-old in 2022, per WXOX.
Michigan Parents Starved ‘Severely Underweight’ Boys in ‘Horrific’ Child Abuse Case
A new investigation was launched into the couple in December 2025, while they were both arrested in March. Both Casey and Mary have since been released from police custody after they posted bond. Casey’s cash bond was $2,000, while Mary paid $1,000.
It is not currently clear if Casey or Mary have entered pleas or retained legal counsel following their arrests. The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case.
Casey and Mary’s next court appearance has not yet been scheduled.
