Police hope older sister will defuse kids' Idaho standoff

Six children remained holed up in this house in Standpoint, Idaho, on Thursday

BONNER COUNTY, Idaho (CNN) -- Police said they hoped six armed children holed up in their Idaho home with 27 vicious dogs would be convinced by their 19-year-old sister to give themselves up.

Police on Thursday were trying to put the sister in touch with the children to defuse the two-day stalemate.

It began Tuesday after police arrested the children's mother on felony charges of injuring a child.

The children then released 27 dogs on sheriff's deputies when they tried to take the children into protective custody.

Bonner County Sheriff Phil Jarvis described the dogs as vicious and said they had recently killed a small moose in the area.

VIDEO CNN's Lilian Kim reports on the standoff between police and six armed children in northern Idaho (May 31) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   CNN ACCESS Idaho standoff neighbor: 'It's very bad with the dogs'     MESSAGE BOARD Idaho standoff

Deputies are not on the property, fearing the stalemate might escalate, although they have cordoned off the road leading to the family's rural home.

The home has no power, water or telephone connection. Negotiators have been trying to talk to the children through a loudspeaker but have gotten no response so far.

Neighbor Mary Peters told CNN she and others were trying to help, despite the dogs. "We were very afraid of the dogs," said Peters. "I have a friend who was bit by one of the dogs trying to go over there to help."

Peters said the mother had become increasingly paranoid over the past few years.

Sheriff's Department Sgt. Robert Rahn said the family had cut all ties with family and neighbors. The husband died about two weeks ago after being bedridden for several years with multiple sclerosis, Rahn said.

Neighbors tried to help the mother and her children, Peters said, but the mother turned them away.

"Everyone was afraid to go there, because of the dogs and because maybe we'd be met with a shotgun," Peters said. "We were very unwelcome. We were helpless."

Peters said the children are afraid their family will be split up if they surrender.

"We have a lot of people who care about them here, and I hope they can realize that we're not trying to do bad to them," Peters said. "We don't want to split their family up. We want their family to have help."

Sheriff Jarvis wouldn't give details of the charge against the children's mother but said that it "comes from long-term neglect of the kids," who haven't been to school for some time.

The two oldest children, a 16-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, have apparently been taking care of the other children, he said.

CNN Correspondent Lilian Kim reported that the children have been surviving on lake water and lilypad soup.