An Eagle Mountain woman and her live-in boyfriend have been arrested on charges of severe child neglect and physical abuse.

The girl appeared to be malnourished and had minor injuries on her body, and she told officers she had escaped her home through a small bathroom window and fallen 12 feet to the ground below. She also told officers her younger brother was still in the home.

"A 6-year-old boy was found locked in a bathroom in the residence," said Lt. Mike Brower of the Utah County Sheriff's Office.

Brower said the children's guardian was not home at the time, and both children had been left unclothed in separate bathrooms locked from the outside. Deputies entered the home by force to rescue the young boy, who they at first thought was dead when he was discovered on the bathroom floor in the fetal position. Both children showed signs of physical abuse, and Brower said if they had not been found soon the young boy might have died.

"He was unconscious, bruised throughout his body, malnourished," he said.

The children were transported to Primary Children's Medical Center, where the boy stayed in the intensive care unit through the night. Brower said both children were treated and the boy will likely be in the hospital for a few more days.

Heath is not the children's mother, but gained custody of them from her sister about one year ago. Brower said it is not yet clear whether the children had been officially adopted by Heath.

"She's the legal guardian of the children," he said.

Brower said during the course of the investigation, officers learned a 4-year-old child was not accounted for. With the help of Salt Lake City police, West Valley City police and the FBI, officers were able to locate the child in West Valley City unharmed. Brower said it took several hours to find Heath and her boyfriend, Sekoa Aiono.

According to police reports, Heath told investigators she left the children at home in order to license her vehicle. Aiono left with the 4-year-old to license the car, and the couple left the two older children unclothed and locked in separate bathrooms. Heath also allegedly went to Salt Lake City after registering her vehicle and later went to dinner and a football game.

Aiono admitted that the couple would withhold food from the children or reduce their rations, and he said the children were often locked in the bathrooms for extended periods and were forced to sleep there during the night, according to police. Aiono also told police leather belts were routinely used on the children, which caused some of the marks.

"We do know that there was physical abuse based on the child's condition," Brower said.

Based on observations in the home, Brower said it appears the children were home schooled and were not sent to public school. Brower said the injuries to the children were obvious, and anyone who saw the children would have known they had suffered.

"Based on our experience, multiple years of dealing with child abuse and neglect, this is one of the more severe cases we've encountered," he said.

Brower said one success in the case was the neighbor's call to police. The public is the eyes and ears of law enforcement, and Brower said it is important to watch for bruises on children or suspicious people in the neighborhood. It is best to let law enforcement decide whether abuse has occurred than to not call at all, as this case shows.

"We commend that neighbor for calling in, witnessing what she did, and notifying authorities," he said.

Police are still investigating the situation and will soon turn over their information to the county attorney's office for official charges. Deputy County Attorney Guy Probert said Heath and Aiono were booked into the Utah County Jail on two charges of child abuse with a $25,000 bail. Probert said the degree of the children's maladies made it clear the abuse has happened over a period of time.

"Malnutrition doesn't happen overnight," he said.