This sickens me

2 toddlers found tied, chained in backyard, Texas deputies say

A 2-year-old boy was "chained to the ground as if he was a dog," he said. "There was no slack in the chain. His pants were down. You could tell he'd been here for a while. And then a short distance away, a 3-year-old girl who was tied to a door with a dog leash who was just exhausted."

The deputies moved quickly to release the two youngsters, but their work was not finished. Inside the house, they discovered six children ranging in age from 10 months to 13 years, the release said. There were no adults on site to care for them.

"To describe this as disturbing is an understatement," Keith said. "It makes you wonder what somebody's thinking. How could they do this?"

Early Friday morning, the parents of the six children who were inside returned to the house, the sheriff's office said.

The mother, Porucha Phillips, 34 was believed to be responsible for caring for the two toddlers, authorities said. She was charged with injury to a child by omission with serious bodily injury and Injury to a child by omission with bodily injury and is being held in the Bexar County Jail.

Deputies haven't said they're searching for the parents of the toddlers found in the backyard.

Child Protective Services was called in. The toddlers were taken to the Children's Hospital of San Antonio and are recovering, though the girl is in intensive care, Keith said.

CPS said one of them has a fractured right arm and wrist and the other has superficial injuries including abrasions and scarring, CNN affiliate KSAT reported. Six children have been cleared for foster care.