Woman calls police over missing 5-year-old granddaughter. Then cops find her locked under the stairs

The world is a dangerous place and tragedy can strike at any moment. It's a parent's greatest fear that something will happen to children.

Kidnapping, illness and the possibility of a child going missing are just some of the concerns. However, despite parents' best efforts, accidents still happen.

As reported by Liftable, in some instances the parents are the biggest threat to a child. Thankfully for one child, her grandmother noticed something was wrong.

Linda Benskey grew concerned when she hadn't seen her step-granddaughter for several months, and the girl's parents were vague about her whereabouts.

With all her options exhausted, Benskey called the police. She informed them of her concerns and asked them to investigate the girl's last known address in North Carolina.

Her granddaughter, Angel, lived with Benskey's stepson. The authorities investigated and were shocked when they found Angel locked in a closet under the stairs.

The 5-year-old girl had been abused as well, she was covered in filth and hadn't eaten in days. Her body was covered in bruises, and she had burn wounds as well.

A former caregiver who worked at the daycare Angel attended also joined the officials when they investigated the house. Tracy Harell barely recognized Angel.

“Her little hands were shaky. Her hair was shaved, but what wasn’t shaved was pulled out in knots, so she had bald spots all over her head.”

Tracy Harell, Liftable, April 4, 2018.

Angel couldn't remember the last time she had seen food. Her parents, Adam Byrd and Crystal Carnahan were charged with neglect, child abuse and assault with a deadly weapon.

Benskey told reporters that she is trying to gain custody of Angel, along with Angel's biological mother, Holly.