A former Michigan couple has pleaded no contest after authorities said they abused their adopted children, including restraining them in a straitjacket and dog cage.
Jessica Klimp, 45, pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree child abuse Monday in Wexford County Circuit Court, said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Her husband, Jason Klimp, 47, pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree child abuse in March.
“Kids deserve to grow up in a loving home free from abuse,” Nessel said in a statement. “The cruelty that these children endured is heartbreaking, and while no outcome can erase the trauma, I hope these convictions will provide a sense of justice and healing.”
Attorneys for the Klimps didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment.
Nessel said the couple lived in Cadillac and were the parents of four biological children and four adopted children. While they were staying in a rented home in Tennessee in February 2024, one of their adopted children was hospitalized with symptoms of severe dehydration and malnutrition, Nessel said.
Authorities found that two of the adopted children were severely underweight, had been fed only liquified food and had supervised access to food, Nessel said.
Michigan State Police executed a search warrant at the Klimps’ Wexford County home, where troopers found a man-made straitjacket, security alarms on the bedroom door and dog cages that were apparently used to confine the children, Nessel said.
The Klimps were both initially charged with four counts of first-degree child abuse, according to online court records. Two of the counts against both suspects were dismissed as part of a plea deal.
Both suspects also pleaded guilty in Tennessee to one count of aggravated child abuse. They were sentenced in October 2025 to 10 years behind bars. In November, they were extradited to Michigan.
Both are scheduled to be sentenced June 16. In Michigan, first-degree child abuse is punishable by any number of years in prison, including a life sentence. Nessel said their sentences will be served concurrently with their incarceration in Tennessee.
The Klimps’ parental rights have been terminated, Nessel said.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Ex-Michigan couple accused of keeping adopted kids in dog cage plead
Reporting by Max Reinhart, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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