Left to right: Jessica Blair, Joshua Foster (Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office).
In Idaho Falls, a disturbing case has emerged involving a 3-year-old boy who was reportedly forced to spend his days confined to a car seat within an abandoned vehicle. This troubling situation has led to severe hygiene issues and distressing rashes for the child.
Jessica Blair and Joshua Foster, both 35, are facing charges of felony injury to a child. This follows a visit by law enforcement officers to their Idaho Falls residence, where they allegedly found the young boy in the vehicle with an unrelated individual. According to court documents accessed by East Idaho News, it was claimed that the couple’s routine involved placing their toddler in a car seat inside the vehicle daily.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare alerted the police on January 29, after an investigation highlighted that Blair and Foster were living in deplorable conditions. It was discovered that their young son was being kept in the car seat of an abandoned vehicle for extended periods.
When questioned about their son’s whereabouts, the couple reportedly told the police he was “in the car.” During the investigation, authorities noticed an extension cord running from the car to the house, powering a space heater inside the vehicle. Shockingly, a dog was seen walking over the child.
Upon entering Blair and Foster’s residence, officers allegedly encountered squalid conditions, including substantial amounts of feces, urine, trash, decaying food, bug infestations, and cigarette butts scattered throughout. In what was supposed to be their son’s bedroom, officers found six pets living amid excrement and urine-soaked areas, with animal beds in place of a child’s space.
The young boy was found wearing a soaking wet T-shirt and a disintegrating diaper, which police suspect he had been wearing for several days. The child suffered from severe rashes on his groin and inner thighs, likely from prolonged periods in the car seat, as detailed in the court documents.
The car seat that the boy was allegedly found in was also wet and severely stained. The child was reportedly removed from the home by workers with the IDHW. Weeks later, on April 9, investigators returned to Blair and Foster’s home to see if they had improved the living conditions in an attempt to regain custody.
Police say there were more feces on the floor than the prior visit, and there were even more animals inside the home, which had no power. Court records show that at least 33 animals have been removed from the couple’s possession in the past.
Blair and Foster are facing animal cruelty charges in addition to the child injury charge, according to records viewed by Law&Crime. They’re both scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on May 1.
