Child Isabella Kalua Was Kept In A Cage, Starved By Parents Before Being Reported Missing

A biological sister of Hawaiin girl Isabella Kalua has revealed in documents filed on Friday that their adoptive parents had duct-taped the girl's mouth and nose, restraining her inside a dog cage in their bathroom, before her reported disappearance.

The recent court filing details the disturbing claims against the victim's adoptive parents, Isaac and Lehua Kalua, who are now facing second-degree murder charges, Fox13 News reported.

According to the paperwork, Isabella "was in the bathroom in a dog cage, duct tape on her mouth and nose, and she didn't wake up," quoting what the witness told police in an interview two weeks ago.

The older sister, identified by initials I.M.K. in the documents, added that the pair forced her to keep her mouth shut about the torture that occurred months ago.

The suspects reported Isabella missing on Sept. 13, insisting they had last seen Isabella, whose birth name is Ariel Sellers, asleep in her room the night before. The family's home surveillance system would reveal Isabella was last seen on cameras on Aug. 18, KHON2 noted.

After reporting Isabella missing, Lehua told police the girl habitually went into the garage, where she would fall asleep and leave the doors unlocked.

On Wednesday, Nov. 10, the police arrested the Kaluas on suspicion that the girl died a month before they reported her missing. Isaac and Lehua, who were being held without bail, fronted court via video link on Friday and entered not guilty pleas for the murder allegations.

Authorities would then decline to comment on why they have suspicions that Isabella is already dead despite failing to locate her body. Instead, Isabella's sister claims she knows the victim is "dead because she was there," court documents show.

The Kalua mother then filled the bathtub with water and placed Isabella in it to wake her up. When that failed, according to the documents, the sister helped the Kaluas in carrying Isabella's body to their bedroom.

The mother would subsequently drain the tub but the sister said she doesn't know what they did with the corpse after that. A few days after that incident, Isaac took some time off work, claiming he had COVID-19, to "help Lehua get rid of the evidence."

Police also learned that suspects bought the dog cage online despite not owning a pet. The sister claims it was for Isabella, who used to sneak around at night to eat because their adoptive parents were stopping her from foraging for food. She added it prompted them to sneak food to her when she was kept in the cage at night, according to the Daily Beast.

“All I can say is I’m obviously saddened by what’s written," William Harrison, a spokesperson for the couple, told the media. "I don’t know the details."