Police say the girl lived with her grandparents, Brian and Rivae Hart, along with her younger brother. But she was the only one locked up, and the couple would barricade the door with a dresser so she couldn't get out.
"It was a deplorable situation," said Sgt. Larry Toplin with Dayton Police. "This particular little girl was being restrained inside a small area, comprised of a half-bathroom, from the time basically she returned to school until leaving for school again the next morning. And this also included weekends."
Toplin said that the couple said they confined the girl because of behavioral problems, even though the fourth-grader has had no reported problems at school.
The girl eventually told the school nurse who then called police. Police said that the girl said that her meals were inconsistent and that the Harts allowed her out of the room for school and when people visited the home, the last time apparently at Christmas 2007.
The grandparents are under arrest on kidnapping and child endangering charges. The children have been put in foster care.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
