Kids locked in Milwaukee storage unit; Charles Dupriest sentenced

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee County judge sentenced Charles Dupriest on Thursday, April 9, to five years in prison plus an additional five years of extended supervision in connection with the discovery of six young children locked in a Milwaukee storage unit in September 2025. One of the children was only two months old.

The sentence matches the recommendation of the state in this case.

What they're saying:

"Mr. Dupriest may love his children, but preventing future harm requires more than that. It requires accountability. It requires a genuine commitment to change. We don't see that here," said Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Hasle. 

"I understand the situation is very serious. This has affected them. My absence has affected them. And me being absent from them further would continue to affect them negatively," Dupriest told the court before his sentence.

Dupriest could have faced up to 14 years in prison. 

In January, a jury found Dupriest guilty of all nine charges against him – including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and eight charges of neglecting a child.

Kids found in storage unit

Note, the details of this incident may be disturbing to some readers

What we know:

According to the criminal complaint, on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, at about 1:30 a.m., MPD officers responded to the Storsafe near 27th and Silver Spring for a report of a child crying inside a locked storage unit.

Milwaukee firefighters cut the padlock to one of the storage units and found six children, the youngest of which was two months old. There was a bucket of urine in the middle of the unit and there was no light source, other than a crack in the garage door. One of the children told a detective they "weren't supposed to be loud."

The complaint goes on to say that the eldest child told detectives it was their responsibility to take care of the children when Charles Dupriest and Azyia Zielinski, the defendants, were away. The child also said that they needed to give the baby a bottle when the baby cries, and that the child had no phone or means to contact Dupriest and Zielinski in an emergency.

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None of the children were reported to be injured.

State of the storage unit

Dig deeper:

The complaint goes on to say that the unit was in disarray, and the smell was "putrid." There was a sectional couch and a twin mattress on which three of the children slept. The mattress had no bedsheets. There were boxes of chips, milk, and a case of soda. There were no lights, electricity, or running water.

A Storsafe employee provided surveillance video to police showing the defendants dropping the children off at the storage unit. He also recalled seeing a twin-sized bed inside. He reported the issue to management, who issued an eviction notice for the unit.

Defendants arrested

What we know:

The complaint further states that about 40 minutes later, both the defendants were found sleeping in an SUV in the Storsafe parking lot. Both Dupriest and Zielinski admitted they slept in the SUV with their dog while the six children slept in the locked storage unit. Officers noted that the SUV had three rows of seating and that the middle row was entirely open, and the dog slept on one seat in the back row.

They both said they were homeless but later admitted the children could have stayed with family or friends. Officers also found a loaded firearm in the center console of the SUV.

Defendants interviewed

What they're saying:

The complaint goes on to state that police interviewed both Zielinski and Dupriest.

Azyai told police that she had struggled to secure housing for several years and had recently been kicked out of a homeless shelter. She admitted the children had been sleeping in the storage unit for about one and a half months. She said they got food from organizations and received food stamps as well as $2,000 per month in Social Security benefits.

She acknowledged providing the bucket for the children to urinate in. She also said the firearm belonged to her, but Dupriest touched it when retrieving items from the console, and she admitted both of their DNA would be on the weapon.

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Dupriest told police that they had been kicked out of a homeless shelter about a month earlier and that the SUV was his. He also said he received $2,000 per month in Social Security. He also admitted the children slept in the storage unit about three times per week. He acknowledged that other family and friends could have housed the children.

Dupriest denied ever touching the gun in the console and refused to provide DNA.

Children interviewed

What they're saying:

The complaint goes on to say police interviewed some of the children. They told police the state of living in the storage unit, which included using a bucket to relieve themselves. There was no source of light in the unit, and they were not sure how they would get out if there was an emergency.

They also said Zielinski and Dupriest would drink and smoke in the unit or in the SUV. One of the children said Dupriest had carried a firearm, and another child described how Dupriest would give all of them, except the baby, "whoopings."

Zielinski sentenced

What we know:

In court on March 19, a judge sentenced Zielinski to 18 months in the House of Correction, then stayed that sentence, putting her on probation for 18 months. Zielinski also has to now take a parenting class, can't have any drugs or alcohol, and she will have her mental health assessed.

Zielinski previously pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges of neglecting a child (specified harm did not occur). The other charges were dismissed and read in.