Crime & Safety

2nd Arrest Made In Cedar Park In Connection To Girls' Abuse Case

Jacob M. O'Donnell, transgender now known as Aria Young, in custody after cops learn daughters kept in closet, unable to communicate.

CEDAR PARK, TEXAS — The father of two girls found to have been habitually locked in a closet in Cedar Park without the benefit of formal schooling has been arrested, police said this week.

Jacob Mark O'Donnell, a transgender woman who now goes by Aria Young, 31, was booked into the Williamson County Jail on Thursday. O'Donnell (the name police used in the formal booking) had been sought by police since last week after police found O'Donnel's unkempt 5- and 6-year-old daughters living under deplorable conditions inside an apartment along the 2000 block of South Lakeline Boulevard.

Police later learned the girls were kept in a closet four hours at a time. They had been deprived of a formal education, rendering them unable to communicate with police in answering questions about their plight.

Find out what's happening in Cedar Park-Leanderfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The girls' mother, Mia Young, was arrested last week. She was booked into the Williamson County Jail after being charged with two counts of injury to a child causing serious mental deficiency or impairment, first-degree felonies.

Related story: Cedar Park Mom Arrested, Father Sought In Abuse Of Two Girls

Find out what's happening in Cedar Park-Leanderfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Police began investigating the case in May when they responded to a call for service at the apartment. That's when police found the girls amidst an unclean environment, unable to effectively communicate as children their age typically can.

O'Donnell is currently behind bars at the Williamson County Jail with bond set at $200,000. Prior to the incident, the girls' arrested parents had no prior history with Child Protective Services in Texas, officials said, but were twice investigated for child neglect in California.

Mia Young, the girls' mother, was previously arrested by law enforcement authorities (booking photo via Williamson County Jail).

Get Patch's Daily Newsletters and Real Time Alerts

>>> Jacob M. O'Donnell booking photos via Williamson County Jail records

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Cedar Park-Leander