Kentucky police responding to a neighbor’s complaint found 19 children living in squalor in a sweltering home with no parental supervision.
The children, who ranged in age from 8 months to 14 years, were alone in the Bowling Green home for a week after their parents left to attend to a family emergency, MSNBC reported. The small three-bedroom rental home had no food or working air conditioning and was filled with dog feces that reached one inch thick in one room, authorities said. Temperatures reached 101 degrees in the area this week, and police said when the entered the home it was a steamy 90 degrees.
Kentucky police have charged Jackie Farah, the biological mother of some of the children, with 14 counts of criminal abuse and five counts of wanton endangerment after she returned from Chicago. She and Irving Smith, father of some of the children, left for Michigan on June 27 to attend to a family emergency and had asked neighbors to check on the children. Police are still looking for Smith.
Officers said the children didn’t seem to be surprised to be home by themselves and acted as if it happened all the time. Police added that the neighbors likely didn’t realize just how many children were in the home, and tipped off police when they saw the children scrounging for food.
“They had went to neighbors’ residences at different times begging for food,” Warren County Sheriff’s Detective Tim Robinson told the Associated Press.
The children were treated at a local hospital before Kentucky police placed into protective custody, the Associated Press reported. Animal control officers also removed nine dogs and one cat were living at the residence.
the neighbors must've thought nothing of it—-because how do you get away with NINETEEN (a classroom full of) KIDS living in a 3 bedroom rental house in the first place? even when you and your boyfriend/mate ARE home? and 9 dogs inside, too- with an inch thick of their shit covering one floor?
It was 90 degrees in there when the police arrived. and the oldest child was only 14, with an 8 month old left with that horde of kids to care for, for a week.
I am surprised the infant didn't die.
As a responsible parent, it is not appropriate to leave our child home alone, especially if they can’t handle things on their own. Ages that was mentioned usually acts not quite mature enough to handle the situation when they’re alone. They’ll usually explore things that might lead them to harm themselves. And since I have kids under 11, and one is 14. There were times that I have left them home alone, but I made sure that I can still have an access of what’s been happening at their ends. I have registered their smartphones in an application that can enable them to summon for help whenever it needed. In addition, I can also locate the place wherever they are and have the ability to know if their location is safe. If situation needs a medical, fire or police assistance they can quickly reached 911 in our area with the help of the Call Center with complete information. This is the site where I found the link: http://www.tsue-thatswhatshesaid.com/2011/08/your-childs-safety-your-piece-of-mind.html.
I've read many articles concerning parent leaving or causing their children from hurting. Though I have no right to judge them yet I'm hoping that nobody would ever thought of doing so. As a mother of two, the idea of my children being harmed or lost is not something anyone wants to consider. Then I found an article by anationofmoms about a service that can protect your family via your cell phone. And at the bottom, there is an opportunity to enter a drawing for 6 months of that service just by liking them on Facebook. You might find it interesting: http://anationofmoms.com/2011/08/protect-your-family-giveaway.html.