An Ohio woman who padlocked a 7-year-old girl in a dog cage as punishment in her home's basement has been sentenced to prison.

Lillian Cottrell, 29, was sentenced Monday to three years in prison after pleading guilty child endangerment, according to The Associated Press.

Cottrell admitted to torturing the girl over the course of seven months last year, including keeping her locked in a cage as a form of punishment. When the girl, then 7, was rescued from the home Cottrell shared with her boyfriend, she weighed 28 lbs., according to Stark County Prosecutors.

Other children and a dog were also living in the home at the time, according to the Canton Repository. However there was no evidence they had been treated the same.

They were also removed from the home. The girl is now in the care of a family member.

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Cottrell's boyfriend, Derek Mayle, 30, faces the same charges and is scheduled to go to trial in March. He is accused of torturing the girl as well. Attorney information for him was not available Wednesday.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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