The woman was charged yesterday with two counts of felony child endangerment.
Jackson County detectives were serving a search warrant for an alleged stolen car operation in the caves on the city's east side Thursday when they found the children, alone, in the 8-by-10-foot (2.4-by-3-meter) crate furnished with vehicle bench seats.
Prosecutors say the children were poorly clothed, barefoot and covered in dirt, and the younger one was eating from a cup of dry ramen noodles.