Good morning. Thursday, April 9th, 2026. Mornings in the Lab. Show 3022. I'm Keith, he's Jon. If you are a father — hold onto something. Because this one is going to make you furious. In Crawford County, Wisconsin — six kids, ages one through nine — were so STARVED by the people who were supposed to love them that they ate bugs. They ate grass. They ate mold. They ate DOG FOOD. Not a bad week. Not a rough patch. For YEARS. From 2018 to 2022. Casey Cano, 38. Mary Cano, 35. Beatings with belts that left welts and drew blood — starting when one of those kids was THREE MONTHS OLD. And right now, as you're drinking your coffee — they are out. On bond. Walking free. That is what we're talking about this morning. Let's go.
This is not just a crime story. This is a SYSTEM FAILURE story. The children were only removed in April 2022 because a separate sexual assault investigation into another child happened to expose what was going on inside that home. Nobody spotted the starvation. Nobody flagged the bruises. The abuse was discovered as a SIDE EFFECT of another crime. Four years of abuse. Then four MORE years before new charges were filed. New investigation started last December. Arrests came in March 2026. The Canos are ALREADY convicted — both of them — on a 2022 sexual assault charge. CONVICTED. And they are still walking free on bail while facing 120-plus new criminal charges. Every link in the chain failed: detection, child services, prosecution, the bail system. This is what accountability without enforcement looks like. And every man in this audience knows the difference.
Five talking points. Use them. ONE — A prior SEXUAL ASSAULT CONVICTION plus 120-plus new charges — and bail is granted. Where is the legal logic in that decision? TWO — Kids removed in 2022. New charges filed in late 2025. What happened in that three-year gap? Who was NOT doing their job? THREE — Starvation so severe that children ate bugs and dog food. How does that stay invisible in a community for FOUR YEARS? FOUR — Beatings began when a child was three months old. Where was the pediatrician? The school? The neighbors? What did everyone miss? FIVE — Would this case have moved faster if these weren't kids in a low-income rural county? Be honest about that.
The facts, straight. Casey Cano, 38. Mary Cano, 35. Crawford County, Wisconsin. Each facing six counts of persistent physical abuse of a child resulting in significant bodily injury. Six counts of child neglect. One count of exposing a child under age 13 to sexual acts. Over 120 charges combined. Abuse window: January 2018 through April 2022. Children aged one to nine years old at the time. Belt beatings leaving welts and bleeding. One child forced to wear a soiled diaper for THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS as punishment. Food withheld until hunger drove those kids to eat whatever they could find — mold, insects, grass, dog food. That is not neglect. That is deliberate, sustained TORTURE. Prior conviction: Both Casey and Mary Cano were convicted of sexual assault in 2022. Not suspected — CONVICTED. Still out on bail. Crawford County. Rural. Small population. Limited resources. And apparently, limited oversight. These children are now roughly five to thirteen years old. Old enough to testify. Old enough to remember everything.
You want to DO something. Here's how. FIRST — Save the Wisconsin child abuse hotline: 1-800-422-4453. Most states have one. Put it in your phone. If something looks wrong, you call. That's not overreacting. That's being a man. SECOND — Be the neighbor who notices. Isolated abuse survives because communities look away. You don't have to investigate. You have to REPORT. THIRD — Follow this case. Crawford County Circuit Court. Demand the news covers the outcome. Accountability requires witnesses. FOURTH — Tell your kids there is NOTHING they cannot tell you. No punishment, no shame. That conversation is your daily job as a father. Have it today.
We talk about accountability on this show every morning. But accountability only works if the INSTITUTIONS meant to enforce it actually do. Courts. CPS. Prosecutors. Bail judges. When THEY fail — and they clearly failed here — who answers for it? Who answers for the four-year gap? Who answers for the bail decision on two people who are ALREADY convicted? We're not pointing fingers without evidence. We are asking the question every man listening should be asking. Because accepting system failure as normal is not the energy we bring to this show. Reflect on this: What in YOUR world needs to be held accountable today? Start there.
Drop it in the comments. We want to hear from you. Have you ever been in a position where you saw something wrong with a kid and had to decide whether to say something? Have you had to make a hard call as a neighbor, a coach, a family member? This is the real talk, informative conversations space — not performance, not outrage for clicks. Real men, real stories, real accountability. If you've got a take on the bail system or what SHOULD happen to Casey and Mary Cano — the comments are open.
We close every hard story with purpose — not despair. Those six kids in Crawford County survived something that would break most adults. They're still here. Charges have been filed. Someone finally decided ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. We need more of that. More communities, more systems, more men deciding — enough. You are someone's daily accountability partner. Someone's morning anchor. Whether that's your kid, your partner, your team — live like it. Lead like it. HOLD THE LINE. Mornings in the Lab. Show 3022. See you tomorrow.
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