Authorities in Michigan have pressed charges against a mother for allegedly neglecting her two young children with special needs. The children were discovered alone at home, with one resorting to eating raw, spoiled meat due to extreme hunger.

According to the Flint Township Police, officers conducted a welfare check at the residence and were confronted with appalling living conditions. The children were alone, and the scene was described as chaotic and unsanitary.

“Upon entering, officers found themselves in a setting that felt as though it was abandoned,” the police department shared in a Facebook update. “Trash was strewn across the floors, making it impossible to walk normally. Each step had to be calculated to avoid the mess. A faucet was left continuously running, spilling water onto the floor, its sound resonating in a house long devoid of adult care.”

The officers reported that the faucet was left open, and there was evidence of feces smeared on the walls at a child’s height. The children, whose exact ages were not disclosed, lacked clean clothing and had no access to food. Additionally, there was no phone or means for them to contact anyone outside the home for assistance.

One child was found consuming the raw, putrid meat, while the other was discovered curled up on the bedroom floor.

Details regarding the specific special needs of the children and the duration of their abandonment have not been released by the police.

“Their mother, the person who should have been their fiercest protector, the one voice meant to calm their fears and meet their needs, walked away,” police said. “No caregiver stepping in, no safeguards. Just absence.”

Police said a neighbor had called 911 requesting the welfare check. They eventually found the children’s mother, Krystal Farmer, and she has been charged with child abandonment, child abuse, and lying to a peace officer.

She was arraigned on Saturday, and, despite the almost poetic post on the police department’s Facebook page, was given a mere $64,000 bond, WNEM said. Her next court date is March 5.

The children are now safe, police said, although they did not say where.