A Michigan couple has been charged after authorities say their five children were punished with whippings and confinement in a dark, locked bedroom described by a police officer as a "dungeon."

Thirty-two-year-old Yenier Conde and 28-year-old Sarah Conde were charged last week with child abuse and unlawful imprisonment.

The Lansing State Journal reported that their children were kept in the bedroom without food or water.

CNN reports the five children were whipped, threatened with a gun and locked inside a dark room with the door screwed shut.

One of the children has cancer.

The abuse allegedly occurred over several years and was discovered in 2017.

Child protective services noted the children smelled of urine and faeces and there were flies throughout the house.

Mrs Conde ran a dog breeding business from the home, yet there were no complaints of neglect for the many animals in the home.

The children are now between the ages of 6 and 11 and have been placed in foster care. The couple has since lost custody.

Sarah Conde has an Aug. 3 hearing. Her attorney declined to comment on the charges.

Court records didn't list a lawyer or court hearings for Yenier Conde.