An Anaheim couple are under arrest, and their two children -- an 11-year-old boy with Autism and  his younger siblings, 10 and 8 -- are in protective custody after police found an animal cage in which they suspect the 11-year-old was being kept in.

Police questioned the parents after Orange County Child Protective Services received reports of a child being held in a cage. The reports vary about how long the child had been caged -- from several hours to several months and several years, according to Anaheim police Lt. Bob Dunn.

According to Dunn, the boy is autistic and unable to communicate, and the parents would use the cage as a way to control him.

Dunn states that the child appears to be in good health, as do his siblings, but they will undergo a medical check and a strategy will be developed to determine the best way to communicate with him.

The parents were arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment and felony false imprisonment, and the children are now in protective custody.