Authorities in the Pacific Northwest have detained three individuals following a startling discovery by Vancouver, Washington, police. A local officer found five children and three dogs living in a single SUV.
“During their probe, officers uncovered methamphetamine on one suspect, while another confessed to having fentanyl in the vehicle,” reported the police. “The children had scant food supplies and exhibited evident signs of neglect.”
The children ranged in age from 5 to 13 years old. State Child Protective Services intervened, taking the children into their care and ensuring they received a medical evaluation. As for the animals, two of the three dogs were found severely malnourished, while the third, suffering from an untreated tumor, was sadly put down.
Authorities apprehended Natalie Gebron, Zachariah Edwards, and Corleone Lewis. Gebron and Edwards face charges including five counts of endangerment involving a controlled substance, one count of drug possession, and three counts of animal cruelty.
Meanwhile, Lewis confronts charges of resisting arrest, possession with intent to deliver controlled substances, along with multiple counts related to unlawful camping, storage violations in public spaces, domestic violence assault, and malicious mischief.
As per Law&Crime, Gebron, aged 46, is the mother of all five children, while 40-year-old Edwards is the father of three. The documents did not specify Lewis’s relationship to the family.
A search warrant said that a caller saw the children in the SUV at a car wash and called police, KATU reported. The caller reportedly said the smalleset child was “naked and shivering” and had bones visible through emaciated skin.
All five of the children tested positive for fentanyl, and two tested positive for methamphetamine, the station said.
Gebron and Edwards are due in court again on December 23, while Lewis is expeced to appear on December 18.
