Azyia C. Zielinski, 26, from Wisconsin, avoided prison time after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor child neglect counts for leaving her six young children—ages 2 months to 9 years—locked overnight in a Milwaukee storage unit on September 16, 2025. A judge sentenced her to 18 months probation instead of jail, citing her lesser culpability in an abusive marriage to husband Charles Dupriest, who was convicted earlier.
Incident Details
Police responded at 1:33 a.m. to cries from the pitch-black Storsafe unit, cutting the padlock to find the kids on a couch and bed amid piled belongings, using a urine-filled bucket as a toilet in putrid conditions. The 9-year-old cared for siblings, fed the infant, and noted hunger with no emergency contact; light came only from a door crack.
Sentencing Factors
Prosecutors highlighted Zielinski’s truthful testimony against Dupriest, her emotional/physical abuse victim status, remorse, and rehab progress, recommending probation with sobriety, parenting classes, and mental health treatment. The judge agreed, deeming it proportionate; Dupriest faces sentencing April 9.
Children’s Accounts
The 5-year-old felt sad/mad, tried escaping, resented the family dog sleeping in parents’ nearby Ford Expedition, and noted her father’s gun and beatings. An employee recalled earlier child drop-offs; the family claimed homelessness despite other options.
