Inset, left to right: Karianne N. Lindsey and Christian A. Diaz (Waukesha County Jail). Background: The area in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, where the couple allegedly kept their young children (Google Maps).
A couple in Wisconsin is accused of keeping their five young children in “unimaginable” conditions, living in a basement that was covered in feces, insects, and rotting food for years.
Karianne N. Lindsey and Christian A. Diaz were taken into custody last week and charged with two counts each of chronic neglect of a child and three counts of neglecting a child, all felonies, court records show.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court, the alleged neglect took place between May 22, 2022, and September 22, 2025, in the city of Oconomowoc, a city around 35 miles wast of Milwaukee. Authorities state that the defendants were responsible for the welfare of the five children and, through “failure to take action,” they endangered the “physical, mental, and emotional health” of the kids.
The investigation into Lindsey and Diaz began when Lindsey”s mother called authorities in September and requested a welfare check on her grandkids at a residence in the 800 block of Autumn Ridge Drive. The grandmother told police she was concerned for the safety of the kids.
Upon arriving, officers said they found the family living in a filthy two-bedroom basement and noted that several bottles of prescription pills were within reach of the young victims. The children, who ranged in age from 2 to 7, allegedly appeared to have bedbug bites and scabs visible on their skin as well as other indicators that they were unable to maintain even minimum standards of hygiene.
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When police asked the 7-year-old about a cut on his skin, he allegedly responded that he was fine, saying, “Yeah. I haven’t killed myself yet.”
The couple were in court on Monday for their initial appearance before Circuit Judge David L. Herring. Courtroom footage posted by Milwaukee Fox affiliate WITI provided additional details about the harrowing allegations against the duo.
During the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Kevin J. Galezewski said the neglect suffered by the kids at the hands of Lindsey and Diaz escalated over the years, leaving the victims increasingly vulnerable to their surroundings.
“This neglect case spans years despite multiple attempts at intervention by the CPS and police,” he said. “The children were found in unimaginable conditions and put at risk of death or great bodily harm.”
According to Galezewski, the five victims had been “left to live in filth with human feces and rotting food covering their entire space.” The prosecutor also told the court he was able to confirm that there were “no toothbrushes” recovered from inside of the living space and that none of the kids had ever seen a dentist.
A judge set bond at $25,000 for each defendant. Should they be released, Lindsey and Diaz are prohibited from having any unsupervised contact with the children and may not discuss or strategize with each other about their testimony or the case in general, records show.
They are scheduled to appear in court again for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 1.
