Two Joshua Tree parents were arrested Wednesday after they and their three children were found living in a plywood box. According to a Sheriff’s
report, a deputy was on patrol about 11 a.m. Wednesday in the 7000 block of Sunfair Road in Joshua Tree and noticed an abandoned travel trailer, a
large plywood box, and mounds of trash. While checking the property, deputies determined there was no running water or electricity. In addition,
there were many holes dug throughout which were filled with human feces.
Between 30 and 40 cats were found inside the trailer and roaming the property. Three juveniles, aged 11, 13, and 14, were found on the property,
as well as their parents, Mona Kirk, 51, and Daniel Panico, 73. Kirk, Panico, and the three children had been living in the plywood box, which
was 20 feet long, 4 feet high, and 10 feet wide, for about four years. There was little food on the property. Deputies determined the children were living in an unsuitable and unsafe environment, and called Children and Family Services to take custody of the three children. Mona Kirk and Daniel Panico were arrested for investigation of willful cruelty to a child, booked into the Morongo Basin Jail, with their bail set at $100,000 each.
Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Morongo Basin Station at 760-366-4175.
