Florida parents are arrested after child who was locked in a dark room covered in feces and urine since MARCH set mattress on fire to escape

A Florida couple have been arrested on aggravated child abuse charges after one of their six children was found being held captive inside a dark, boarded-up room covered in human waste. 

The child was rescued on Monday after setting fire the soiled mattress in the bedroom, which drew first responders to the house. 

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco seemed visibly shaken discussing the case at a press conference on Tuesday. 

Kelley Davis, 36, and Daniel Davis, 37, have been charged with aggravated child abuse for allegedly keeping one of their six children in deplorable conditions

Deputies who responded to the family's home in Sugar Hill, Florida, on Sunday in response to arson fire found the victim under age 10 being held captive inside a dark bedroom 

The single window in the room with no electricity had been boarded up to prevent natural light from streaming inside

'This is one of those cases that will tear your heart apart,' he warned reporters. 'This is heartbreaking.'

According to Nocco, his deputies arrested Kelley Davis, 36, and her husband, 37-year-old Daniel Davis, after responding to their home in Sugar Hill near the county line for a report of arson fire just after 10.40am on Monday.

They determined that one of the Davis couple's six children, who range in age from infant to 10 years old, had lit a mattress on fire in an attempt to escape. 

Nocco said that the parents, whom he characterized as 'pure evil,' had kept the child locked in a bedroom with no electricity, no toys, no games or television since at least March. 

He said the conditions inside the room were worse than in solitary confinement in prison.  

The single window in the room had been boarded up with screws to prevent natural light from streaming in, and the door had an elaborate, multi-level locking system on the outside to stop the child from leaving. 

Deputies found urine and feces on the floor and walls of the child's bedroom

The bedroom room was equipped with a locking system and had a wooden plank nailed to the frame to prevent the child from escaping 

The sheriff described the conditions inside the room as 'deplorable' and not fit for even 'the worst in our society,' with feces and urine everywhere, including the mattress and a blanket. 

The parents reportedly admitted the child had to yell for them to ask to use the bathroom, but they would not always hear the cries. 

The Davises also allegedly admitted to locking the child in the room for up to 12 hours overnight and when the victim misbehaved. 

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco seemed visibly shaken discussing the suspects, whom he described as 'pure evil' 

They failed to explain why they targeted the child for mistreatment, only referring to certain personality traits they did not like. 

Nocco said that it is believed that the couple's children have Stockholm syndrome - a psychological condition where hostages develop and alliance with their captors in the course of their captivity. 

But according to the sheriff, one of the children was able to set aside her bond with the parents and extend help to her isolated sibling by slipping a book of matches under the door, leading to the fire that alerted authorities.

Nocco told reporters it was a telling sign that after discovering the fire in her child's bedroom, the mother's first phone call was not to 911, but to her husband. 

A detective assigned to the case said during Monday's press briefing that after his arrest, Daniel Davis 'freely admitted that the dogs that lived in that home had better conditions' than his child.   

'No matter how many times you look at something, just know the conditions are a million times worse, the smells, the bugs in the room,' Nocco stressed.

Pasco County Detective Randall Jones said that the father freely admitted that the family's dogs lived in better conditions than his child 

The sheriff said that there were previous calls for service to the family's residence in February and July, but nothing suspicious was found on those occasions. 

On August 26, a neighbor called 911 after seeing an unsupervised child rummaging through a refrigerator in the Davises' garage.

Deputies who responded to the scene spoke to the child, who did not say anything. The father said the child has behavioral and possibly mental health issues. 

'Everything about this is just sad,' Nocce noted. 'It's beyond belief how evil people can be.' 

Daniel and Kelley Davis are being held in the county jail on $50,000 bond each. 

All six of their children are now in protective custody.