Newly released police body-camera footage shown to jurors captures officers cutting a padlock and entering a storage unit where six children, including a 2-month-old, were found in the early morning hours of Sept. 16 on the city’s north side, authorities said Tuesday. The parents were located in a nearby SUV and later charged with child neglect.
The video is being used at the trial of 33-year-old Charles Dupriest, who is charged with five felony counts of child neglect and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The children’s mother, 26-year-old Azyia Zielinski, has already pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor neglect counts; prosecutors dropped four felony neglect charges as part of that agreement. The case has drawn attention because the footage offers an unfiltered look inside unit B58 at a StorSafe facility near North 27th Street, where officers say they found a single mattress, a couch, and a bucket that served as a toilet. No injuries were reported, but officials described conditions as hazardous.
Officers responded at about 1:33 a.m. after a caller reported hearing a baby crying inside a locked unit. Fire crews cut the lock while an officer announced entry. The video shows flashlights sweeping a narrow opening before landing on a sectional sofa, a bare twin mattress and piles of belongings stacked to the ceiling. An officer asks, “What’s going on here?” as small voices answer in the dark. A Milwaukee officer later testified the unit smelled as if it was being used as a bathroom. A complaint on file notes a bucket containing urine and says the odor was so strong responders could not stay inside for long. One child told a detective, “We’re not supposed to be loud,” and a 5-year-old was seen urinating in an orange bucket at the center of the space, according to the records.
According to the complaint, the children ranged in age from 2 months to 9 years. Detectives wrote that the only light came from a thin crack beneath the roll-up door. The oldest boy said he was responsible for caring for his siblings, including feeding the infant and picking her up when she cried. He told investigators the family used the bucket to urinate and defecate and that he had no way to contact anyone in an emergency. A 5-year-old girl said she felt sad when locked in the unit and angry enough to make a mess. She said the dog slept in the car with the parents while she and the others stayed inside the unit and that her father carried a gun. An employee told police he remembered hearing a man’s voice say “Sit down and be quiet” months earlier and said surveillance video showed the children being dropped off, which he reported to management.
Officers found the parents about 40 minutes after entry, sleeping with the family dog in a Ford Expedition parked at the facility. The middle row was empty, according to the complaint, while all six children were in the unit. Investigators wrote that the couple said they were homeless and had been living between the SUV and the unit after leaving a shelter, but acknowledged the children could have stayed with relatives. In interviews summarized in court records, the oldest child described “whoopings” that made him think he should go to the hospital at least once. Detectives also noted minimal food and no running water or electricity inside the unit. While medical staff evaluated the children after removal, authorities did not report physical injuries tied to the night of the discovery.
The discovery happened at a StorSafe facility in the 5500 block of North 27th Street, a busy corridor of warehouses and service businesses on Milwaukee’s north side. Police said the unit’s door was secured with a padlock when they arrived. The complaint identifies the unit as B58. Responders evacuated the children due to the stench and clutter and documented the scene before clearing it. The case file includes still images from body cameras and notes from interviews with detectives and firefighters. Prosecutors said Dupriest faces a separate count for firearm possession based on a weapon recovered during the investigation. Zielinski’s pending misdemeanor sentencing is set for March 19, and court records show the neglect case against Dupriest is moving forward with testimony centered on the bodycam video and witness accounts from officers and storage-facility staff.
In the months since the September call, the case has advanced through routine pretrial steps. Dupriest has remained in custody on the felony case while the county’s child welfare agency arranged care for the siblings. A commissioner previously set cash bail for each parent at separate hearings, and filings indicate prosecutors opposed any release conditions that would allow unsupervised contact with the children. The medical examiner did not list any deaths or acute injuries in the incident, which keeps the criminal counts focused on neglect and firearm possession rather than assault. Officials said toxic living conditions and the risk to a newborn will be central to the neglect allegations when the trial record is complete.
At the courthouse, prosecutors have framed the video as a rare view into day-to-day neglect. Defense filings have not yet offered an extended narrative but note the family’s homelessness and the lack of physical injuries on the night in question. Zielinski’s plea to misdemeanors leaves Dupriest as the lone defendant facing felonies tied to the storage-unit living arrangement. Jurors watched segments of the footage as officers testified about the timeline and described the odor, darkness and the bucket that served as a toilet. A detective said responders were unable to remain inside even after opening the door fully because the air was so foul, a point prosecutors say underscores the risk to the children’s health.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Dupriest’s trial continued with additional testimony from first responders and storage-facility staff. Zielinski’s sentencing remains scheduled for March 19. Investigators said they are still cataloging digital evidence and finalizing reports for the court record. The next expected milestone is the conclusion of the state’s case, after which the defense will decide whether to present witnesses or rest. A verdict date has not been announced.
Author note: Last updated January 14, 2026.