Hoarding, child neglect
Antioch, TN (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Jul 15, 2010
County: Davidson
Charges: Felony CTA, Felony Non-CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Dorothy Marie Kifer
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
Police have identified the mother who was arrested after her four children were found living in filthy conditions. Police have charged Dorothy Kifer with aggravated child neglect along with 26 charges for aggravated animal cruelty.
Police made the discovery Thursday morning while responding to reports of horses and other animals running loose from a home on Maxwell Road in Antioch. When police arrived on the scene, they found Kifer trying to herd horses out of the roadway. When the officer noticed the filthy conditions, he called in additional police personnel.
"The children appeared to be very listless the heat covered in what appeared to be dog feces," said Metro Police Department spokeswoman Kris Mumford.
The four children, ages 19 months, two, four, and six appeared to be covered in mud and animal feces. They were transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for evaluation. They were released to DCS custody Thursday afternoon.
Fifteen malnourished, underweight dogs were removed by Animal Control from the property. Three others were found dead, apparently from dehydration. Animal control is also providing food and water for eight horses.
Neighbors said they've tried to help, but that Kifer never accepted their offers.
"She says she's doing the best she can which she probably is but when you're best isn't good enough then maybe she's probably just overwhelmed," said Honna St. John, a neighbor.
Metro Health officials inspected the property and found unsanitary living conditions and no running water in the home. They also found sewage and wastewater on the ground and determined that the home is not fit for human occupancy.
"Hazmat uniforms had to be worn, gas masks. There was just food garbage, it was absolutely deplorable. The children were so filthy with feces and mud. There was no furniture; just heartbreaking to know that children were living there," said Mumford.
NewsChannel 5 also learned Dorothy Kifer has already been arrested for neglecting a dog in Dickson County.
Dorothy's husband, Jesse Kifer, just returned from serving in Iraq on Thursday. Mr. Kifer is a member of the Tennessee National Guard. Kifer's plane landed in Smyrna where Metro police picked him up and brought him directly to Nashville.
Family services will decide where to place the children after interviewing everyone involved.
Case UpdatesHer children were found living among dead animals and feces. Now their mother, Dorothy Kifer, is going to be charged with child neglect and animal cruelty.
The grand jury indicted Kifer on Tuesday. Last summer, police were called to her Antioch home after her horses were running loose in the neighborhood.
Police said they found dead animals and her four young children living in filth inside her home.
Kifer's soldier husband, Jessie, who returned home from Iraq the day she was arrested, said he had no idea what was going on in the home.
The children have been in state custody. | Source: wsmv.com - Nov 16, 2010
Update posted on Nov 17, 2010 - 12:15AM |
An Antioch woman was in court Tuesday after she was arrested last month when her kids were found living among dead animals and feces.
Dorothy Kifer's husband, a soldier, returned from an overseas deployment the day his wife was arrested.
Jesse Kifer said he didn't know about the filthy conditions, but the district attorney suggested otherwise at the hearing.
"I walked all around the house looking in windows when I could. I noticed that dogs were running loose throughout the house, a large number of them. There were animal feces throughout the house, and there was an odor coming from the residence," said Metro Police Detective Thomas Rollins during the Tuesday hearing.
Police said Dorothy Kifer had a farm with 15 dogs, seven horses, a goat, donkey, cats and chickens, as well as four children ages 1 through 6.
"All of the kids had what appeared to be feces on their face. They wore nothing but shorts. They had no shoes. Their feet, arms and chest appeared to be covered in animal feces," said Rollins during the hearing.
Police also found two dead dogs inside the house. One was decomposed, and another dead dog was found outside. Animal Control officers said they had a tough time cleaning up the situation, even while wearing masks.
"The animals are one thing, but that's the first time I'd ever had a case where there were kids involved," said Bill Biggs of Metro Animal Control.
Kifer's husband in is the Army National Guard and had just returned from overseas when authorities discovered the house. Jesse Kifer testified Tuesday and said that he had no knowledge that his children were living in those conditions.
But a Metro detective said the Department of Children's Services had seven prior referrals about the Kifer children and their living conditions.
"In each of the incidents, animal feces, urine and dogs were found inside the residence," said Rollins.
Police said that those DCS incidents happened in Rutherford, DeKalb, Dickson and Cannon counties, but that the Kifers would move before DCS would return.
The judge reduced Dorothy Kifer's bond but sent the case on to the grand jury. Meanwhile, the couple's four children are in state custody. | Source: wsmv.com - Aug 3, 2010
Update posted on Nov 16, 2010 - 10:33PM |
The children of Dorothy Kifer, an Antioch woman charged with felony child abuse and felony animal abuse, have been hospitalized before.
Dorothy Kifer, 37, was arrested Thursday after police found her family living in feces and filth with dead animals and no running water. Animal Control said it was one of the worst homes it has ever stepped into.
"The odor, it was an open sewer. There was no furniture in the house, but it was littered with garbage and rotting substances," said Metro police spokeswoman Kris Mumford.
In April, Kifer's children were airlifted to Vanderbilt Medical Center for drinking lamp oil in DeKalb County, according to authorities there. In 2008, she was convicted of animal abuse in Dickson County.
The Department of Children's Services confirmed that she's been investigated several times over the years.
All of the animals are OK, and some of the dogs will be up for adoption immediately. | Source: wsmv.com - Jul 16, 2010
Update posted on Nov 16, 2010 - 10:29PM |
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