Children and animals seized from filth
Martins Ferry, OH (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Nov 6, 2008
County: Belmont
Disposition: Not Charged
Abuser names unreleased
Martins Ferry Police got the call from a neighbor.
Two litle girls were out on the roof of a house on North 8th Street.
Officers arived and saw a two-year-old and a four-year-old sitting two stories above ground, with their legs dangling over the edge.
One got up and went toward the police.
"It was kind of scary," recalls Patrolman Tom Siburt. "I didn't want to scare the second child but she did get up and come to us, and we talked them back into the window."
The window had reportedly been broken for months.
Inside the house, police got an even bigger shock.
They describe conditions as horrid.
"Dirty clothes, dog feces, the odor, there was garbage laying around, the house was full of flies," Siburt said. "There was the four-year-old and the two-year-old and in addition to that we found a one-year-old girl in a playpen with flies crawling on her and her blankets. It was pretty disgusting."
Childrens Services was called in.
Police learned that four little girls live there.
They were placed temporarily with another family member.
The pets--two dogs, one pup, a turtle and a cat--were placed at the Belmont County Animal Shelter.
The two parents were told to clean up their house, and police say they are apparently doing that.
At first, police say, the little girls were taken to the hospital where they were checked for injuries, bathed and fed.
Police say there are no arrests yet, but the parents may face child endangerment charges in the near future. References« OH State Animal Cruelty Map
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