Casey Cano and Mary Cano face multiple felony charges for abusing their six young children over four years in Crawford County, Wisconsin. Authorities allege the couple starved the children, forcing them to eat grass, mold, and dog food, and beat them with belts causing injuries. The children, aged 1 to 9 during the abuse, also endured other punishments including being left in diapers for days.
Court records detail that Casey Cano, 38, and Mary Cano, 35, each face six counts of repeated physical abuse of a child with great bodily harm and child neglect, plus one count of causing a child under 13 to view or listen to a sex act. The alleged abuse spanned from January 2018 to April 2022 at their home in southwest Wisconsin's Crawford County. Children as young as 3 months old reportedly suffered beatings with a belt that left welts and broke skin, according to complaints cited by local outlets WKBT and WXOW. Casey Cano is listed as the primary aggressor, while Mary Cano faces charges as a party to the crimes for failing to intervene. The children described being denied food for days as punishment, resorting to eating dog food, mold from walls, and grass outdoors. One child was forced to wear a soiled diaper for three days. This marks a repeat offense for the couple. In 2022, both pleaded to charges of repeated sexual assault of one of the same children; Casey received a 10-year sentence with one year served and five years probation, while Mary got five years with 90 days served. An investigation began in December, leading to their arrests at the end of March. Both have posted bond.