An Ohio woman called 911 last week when she found her 18-month-old son unresponsive. “He’s stiff as a board” the frantic mother reported to the 911 dispatcher. When an ambulance crew arrived at the reclusive family’s home, the toddler was dead. Six malnourished children were found in the home, all with physical or mental disabilities.
“He’s got medical issues,” the mother said of the dead baby boy. She told the 911 operator that she and her husband awoke on November 6 when their 11-year-old child told them that the toddler was unresponsive.
According to an autopsy performed on the dead toddler, he died of malnourishment and dehydration.
The mother was frantic as she spoke with the 911 operator, saying that the toddler was “stiff as a board.”
No charged were immediately filed in the case, but the six children were removed from the home. Four were sent to the hospital. All have physical or mental disabilities or both. A 6-year-old in the parents’ care weighed merely 23 pounds, about half of the average healthy weight for a child that age. The oldest child, 11, found the toddler unresponsive and notified the sleeping parents.
In the call to 911, the mother begged for help to come quickly, repeating the address of their home, located along a country road of small farms and suburban-style homes.
The mother reported that she and her husband had taken a nap, “because we had a Halloween party last night with the kids.”
Authorities stated that one room in the house had four cribs and extensive medical equipment. “He’s got medical issues, he’s disabled, he’s a disabled baby and I don’t know what happened,” the mother said during the 911 call. “Oh, please, God help us. We have disabled children.”
While begging for fast help from 911, the mother asked, apparently to family members, “When’s the last time somebody went in there to check?”
Neighbors said that they had seen little of the family and were unaware of their family situation.
