DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP/WSVN) — Seven children have been taken from a Florida apartment that was so filthy it was difficult for responding police officers to breath.
Their mothers, who are sisters, now face one count each of felony child abuse. Police arrested 27-year-old Melida Jenkins and 31-year-old Shameka Jenkins on Wednesday.
Police officers say the mixture of mold, urine and feces was strong. A police report says children were lying on a “severely stained” mattress with no sheets. The younger children — ranging in age from 1 to 8 — were wearing dirty diapers and soiled diapers littered the floor.
According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, officer James Thomas said the apartment was “the worst living conditions I have ever seen children exposed to” in his 28 years on the job.
“Immediately upon entering the apartment, I noticed an infant running barefoot on carpet that was supposed to be brown in color but was matted, thick, clumpy, and covered wall to wall with black mold,” Thomas wrote in his report. “We might arrest someone for letting an animal live there.”
In his report, Thomas wrote that the odor inside was so pungent that it burned his eyes, and that he had to wash his eyes out after he left the home.
The women told the newspaper the police report is full of “false allegations.” No attorneys were listed on court records. The Florida Department of Children and Families took custody of the children.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.