An Indiana couple was arrested on neglect charges after a naked child showed up on a neighbor’s front porch last month covered in bug bites.
According to WEHT, the neighbor called 911 and reported he believed the child came from next door and that she had “significantly” foul odor.
Deputies from Vanderburgh County visited a child’s home following a neighbor’s 911 call and spoke with Patrick Colbert. They noticed a strong ammonia odor in the house. In the child’s room, where Colbert claimed the child was sleeping, they found the room in chaos, with a diaper filled with feces and a bed cluttered with toys.
Colbert openly informed the deputies about an ongoing case with children’s services related to a similar incident the previous November. Children’s Services arrived and took the extremely dirty child, who seemed to not have been bathed for a while, to a hospital. The emergency room staff indicated that the bug bites on the child were likely caused by bed bugs.
Colbert explained to the deputies that his wife, Jessica, is employed full-time as a nurse, and he had let the house deteriorate due to feeling overwhelmed.
Detectives viewed photos of the home taken by deputies showing significant roach activity and other unlivable conditions. Police finally arrested the couple on Thursday and promptly released them on $750 bonds, according to WEVV.
