Background: Doddridge County Early Learning Academy in West Union, W.Va. (Google Maps). Insets (left to right): Dwayne and Dorothy Hickman (Doddridge County Sheriff”s Office).

Dwayne Hickman, 37, and Dorothy Hickman, 29, face charges of gross child neglect. The alert came on February 10 from Doddridge County Early Learning Academy, located in West Union, roughly 30 miles west of Ohio. A school staff member noticed the unsettling presence of cockroaches in the backpack, leading to further investigation into the children’s well-being, as reported by local ABC station WBOY.

Staff also observed that the Hickmans’ son was covered with bug bites on his face, hands, and lower body.

According to CBS affiliate WDTV, the Hickmans’ daughter approached her teacher with a request to wash her clothes, describing them as “very dirty.”

The Doddridge County Sheriff’s Office quickly escalated the matter to Child Protective Services (CPS). A CPS representative inspected the Hickmans’ residence and reported appalling living conditions. As a result, the children have been placed under CPS care, removed from their parents’ custody for their safety.

Deputies from the Doddridge County Sheriff’s Office referred the Hickmans’ case to Child Protective Services (CPS), which sent a representative to inspect the family home. After a CPS employee notified police about the “extreme deplorable living conditions” at the Hickmans’ home, both children were removed from the parents’ custody and are now in the care of CPS.

Dwayne Hickman and Dorothy Hickman were each charged with two counts of gross neglect of a child creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury and arrested on Feb. 12. During their first court appearance, they both pleaded not guilty. A judge set their bail at $20,000.

Both Hickmans are still in custody at the North Central Regional Jail. They are scheduled for preliminary hearings on Feb. 18.