A Wisconsin couple, Casey Cano, 38, and Mary Cano, 35, are accused of starving and brutally beating six of their children for years, forcing them to eat mold, grass, and dog food while subjecting them to repeated, belt‑based abuse that often broke the skin. The children were ages 1 to 9 at the time of the alleged abuse, which reportedly lasted from January 2018 through April 2022 in their Crawford County home.
What the children endured
The criminal complaints describe a pattern of severe deprivation and violence:
- The couple allegedly withheld food for days as punishment, making the children eat dog food, moldy food, and grass instead of normal meals.
- One child was forced to wear a diaper for three days as punishment.
- The children were routinely beaten with a belt, leaving welts and sometimes causing their skin to break. The beatings reportedly began when some of the kids were as young as 3 months old.
Charges and prior history
Each parent is now facing six counts of repeated physical abuse of a child with great bodily harm and six counts of child neglect, plus one count of causing a child under 13 to view or listen to a sex act. Court records indicate Casey is described as the primary aggressor, while Mary’s charges include a “party to a crime” designation, meaning she is accused of knowingly failing to stop the abuse.
This is not the Canos’ first involvement with the justice system over child abuse. In 2022, both were charged with the repeated sexual assault of the same child: Casey pleaded no contest and received a 10‑year sentence with all but one year stayed, plus five years of probation, while Mary pleaded guilty and got a 5‑year sentence with all but 90 days stayed.
Current status of the case
The new investigation began in December 2025, and both suspects were arrested at the end of March 2026. They have since posted bond, but the criminal complaints portray a household marked by prolonged hunger, fear, and physical violence against very young children. The case underscores how cumulative, daily abuse and neglect can devastate multiple siblings over years, even when authorities have already intervened once before.
