Home alone: Three children left padlocked without food inside crumbling, feces-filled Washington state home, cops say
Two 33-year-old parents were charged with felony criminal mistreatment and abandoning a child after police rescued three children who were padlocked inside a neglected house of filth. An 11-month-old boy was suffering from the effects of hypothermia and dehydration, police said.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Wednesday, February 4, 2015, 1:38 AM
Updated: Wednesday, February 4, 2015, 1:38 AM
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GOOGLE EARTHThree children, ages 7, 3 and 11 months, were left in a Lake Stevens, Wash., house to fend for themselves in deplorable conditions. Their parents, both aged 33, were arrested.
Police rescued three children who were padlocked inside a ramshackle Washington state home without heat or food and surrounded by animal feces and trash.
The youngest — an 11-month-old boy — was suffering from the effects of hypothermia and dehydration, had a 94-degree temperature and was unable to move his extremities when he was rushed to the hospital Saturday, according to Lake Stevens Police Cmdr. Dennis Taylor.
Two 33-year-old parents were arrested Tuesday for leaving their kids locked inside the house of filth, charged with felony criminal mistreatment and abandoning a child, KOMO News reported.
"There was only an empty snack-size potato chip bag and an empty Pringles can," Taylor said of the conditions. "There was no sign of any food; no empty wrappers, no empty cans, certainly no food in the home."
A man who was owed money by the couple stopped by the house and phoned cops when he discovered a 7-year-old girl and her 3-year-old brother padlocked inside the Lake Stevens, Wash., house, according to KOMO.
"The condition of the home looked like it was being torn down, with drywall missing, insulation missing, water coming through the ceiling," Taylor said.
Police had to track down the unnamed parents, who reportedly have several prior complaints with Child Protective Services.
The children are now in foster care.
