Jessica and Jason Klimp, Wexford County, Michigan couple plead no contest to charges of child abuse amid allegations of keeping adopted kids in dog cages and homemade straight jackets.
A Michigan couple accused of confining their adopted children inside dog cages along with forcing them to wear a homemade straitjacket face charges of child abuse on top of prior child abuse convictions.
Jessica Klimp, 45, pleaded no contest Monday, May 11, to two counts of first-degree child abuse involving two of her adopted children, according to a news release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office. Her husband, Jason Klimp, 47, previously pleaded no contest in March to two counts of first-degree child abuse.
The couple, formerly of Cadillac, Mich., are the parents of four adopted children and four biological children according to the release. Prosecutors have not publicly alleged abuse involving the biological children.
Child hospital visit leads to investigation following allegations of child abuse
The investigation into the parents began in February 2024 while the family was staying at a rental home in Tennessee, when one of the adopted children was hospitalized with severe dehydration and malnutrition.
A subsequent investigation discovered that two of the adopted children were severely underweight, fed only liquified food and given supervised access to meals, according to the attorney general’s office.
After the child’s hospitalization, Michigan State Police executed a search warrant at the couple’s Wexford County home, where investigators said they discovered a homemade straitjacket, security alarms attached to a bedroom door and dog cages that appeared to have been used to confine the children.
‘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.’
The Wexford County Prosecutor’s Office originally charged the couple in February 2024.
Tennessee charges and child abuse convictions
In a related Tennessee case, Jessica and Jason each pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated child abuse and were sentenced in October 2025 to 10 years in prison, per the attorney general’s office. The couple was later extradited back to Michigan to face additional charges.
Their Tennessee prison terms will run concurrently with any Michigan sentences, according to prosecutors, noting that Jason is scheduled to be sentenced June 16, while a sentencing date for Jessica has not yet been set.
The couple’s parental rights have also been terminated.
