Five boys and two women — most of them mentally handicapped — were rescued from a basement and placed in protective custody after someone tipped off authorities, police said.
A couple living in the home where the seven were discovered Tuesday had adopted the boys, ages 5 to 14, and were caring for the two women, police Sgt. Bill Gleason said.
“I don’t have any further information about whether they were locked in or if there were restraints,” Gleason said.
“Medical personnel responded to the house and checked them out and I don’t believe any were taken for treatment, so I believe they were OK,” he said.
The couple was interviewed by detectives, said Gleason, who declined to disclose their names. No charges have been filed but are expected, he said.
Three of the five boys and both women in their 50s were described by police as mentally handicapped.
The boys were placed temporarily with Lancaster County Children and Youth Services. The two women are wards of the state and were in lodging provided by a social-service agency, Gleason said.