Kristen Paquette: ‘Hoarder’ Mom, Grandma, Now Accused Of Abducting Child Raised In Horrifying House
Kirsten Paquette, a 32-year-old mom of an 8-year-old girl, and her mother Debra, 54, are on the lam this week after police say they skipped out on a required court appearance on a disturbing child endangerment charge. But not only are the mom and grandma missing from their hometown of Newburyport, Massachusetts, they’ve taken little Brianna Paquette with them.
Cops in Newburyport kicked Kristen and Debra Paquette out of their house at 8 Strong Street in early July after an anonymous caller reported that the little girl’s well-being may be in danger. When police searched the place, they saw exactly what the tipster was talking about. The place was a hell-hole — the mom and grandma were apparently hoarders who had let their house reach conditions unfit for child or adult.
Not only were animal feces scattered on the floor throughout the single-family home, the place was packed with junk and undisposed garbage, with random and useless furniture items blocking the front door, filling the bathroom, and cluttering the house so badly that there was only a foot-wide path that allowed the inhabitants to move around.
The family was placed in the care of Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. A judge recently transferred the care of Brianna Paquette from her mom to the state. As a result, Kristen and Debra Paquette could now be charged with abducting the child.
“We’re just very concerned with what’s going on with Brianna and where she is,” Brianna’s aunt, Jillian Hardy, told WFXT-TV in Boston. “This isn’t just a hoarding case anymore. It’s a missing child.”
Hardy’s brother is Brainna’s father.
“We were hoping they’d show up to court because then DCF would then end up getting custody of Brianna and then maybe my brother could establish some visitation and see her,” the aunt added.
On Tuesday morning, the two adult Paquette women were supposed to appear in court on the child endangerment charge. But they never showed up for the appearance. The Massachusetts DCF had filed a missing person report on Brianna last week, after the judge in Essex County ordered that she be placed in state custody.
Arrest warrants have been issued for Kristen and Debra Paquette, who are believed to be out of state at this point. They are believed to be driving a a blue 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck with a New Hampshire license plate, numbered 309-3465.
The hoarder house where Kristen Paquette was raising her daughter has since been condemned and is scheduled to be torn down.
[Images: NECN Screen Grab, MySpace, Newburyport Police Department]