In a disturbing case out of Missouri, a mother and her husband have been apprehended after authorities discovered four children in their care living in appalling conditions. The children were reportedly malnourished and surrounded by filth, prompting immediate intervention.

Stacey Laura-Louise Castleman, aged 34, along with her 26-year-old husband, Erik Aleister Castleman, were arrested last month. They now face serious charges, including multiple counts of child abuse or neglect, and endangering the welfare of a child, as documented in court records.

The situation came to light on December 27, 2025, when officers from the Warrensburg Police Department responded to a call from the Division of Family Services. They were investigating suspicions of child neglect at the couple’s residence. Upon arrival, officers were hit by a potent odor of urine and feces, and they reported that their boots stuck to the floor as they conducted their inspection, uncovering numerous hazardous and unsanitary conditions.

The police affidavit paints a grim picture, describing feces embedded in the carpet, smeared across the walls, and on the furniture. The varying colors of the feces suggested they had been present for an extended period.

The kitchen was reportedly overrun with decay, littered with rotting food, and a sink brimming with unwashed dishes. The floor was sticky with dried liquid spills, and a trash bin, devoid of a lid, was overflowing with soiled diapers, adding to the squalor.

In their investigation, police noted an overpowering stench of urine emanating from the first bedroom they entered, further underscoring the neglect within the home.

“A bed frame and uncovered mattress were present,” the affidavit states. “The mattress was covered in paw prints of either mud or feces from the dogs. The stains were crusted into the fabric of the mattress. A blanket was found rolled up at the end of the mattress. More feces was found on the floor in this room.”

Police found the toddler in a bouncer in the kitchen. Beneath the bouncer, police said there was a “puddle of fresh urine.” When the toddler was lifted from the bouncer, a “large amount of liquid” allegedly “poured” from the diaper to the floor and officers said the child was suffering from “an aggressive diaper rash.” Stacey Castleman allegedly told police she believed the child was allergic to diapers.

In the bathroom on the first floor, officers said the toilet and tub were both covered in feces and the toilet was overflowing with “toilet paper and tampons.”

On the second floor, police said they found the bedrooms of three more kids, all of whom were between ages 3 and 8. The children all allegedly slept on bare mattresses that were brown due to a combination of dirt and feces.

“The floors of each room had toys and clothing sitting in the feces,” the affidavit states. “Officers looked in the bathroom on this floor and found it was filthy. There was human feces and human urine on the floor, overflowing the toilet, in the bathtub, and in a bucket that was lined with a plastic bag.”

Police said all three kids were filthy, were infested with lice, and walked around the feces-filled home in bare feet.

An officer in the home said he overheard Stacey Castleman telling a Division of Family Services worker to “just take the foster kids,” adding, “obviously it’s too much for me to handle.”

Stacey Castleman allegedly told police the home was in disarray “due to it being the holiday season” before stating that she wanted to “give all the kids up.”

Both defendants are being held in Johnson County Jail on $10,000 bond. Stacey Castleman is currently scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on Jan. 14, records show. Her husband is slated to appear on Jan. 21.