Two Pennsylvania parents have been taken into custody after authorities said their young children, one of them an infant, were discovered living in a foul-smelling home littered with feces, heaps of garbage and lacking running water.
The conditions were uncovered Tuesday when FBI agents served a search warrant at the Northeast Philadelphia residence of Thomas Bach, 43, and Megan Bach, 44, as part of an investigation into alleged terroristic threats against the White House, a source told WPVI.
After speaking with Megan Bach, agents went inside the property and determined it was unsafe because of “deplorable living conditions,” including two children surrounded by feces, fleas, trash piles and no working water service, according to WPVI and NBC Philadelphia.
The children, ages 5 and 8 months, were removed from the home and transported to a nearby hospital after they were found with bug bites and bruising, WPVI reported.
Animal welfare officials also removed 38 cats and one dog from the property, and the Pennsylvania SPCA said additional cats may still need to be recovered from inside the home.
Local reports said the effort to safely retrieve all of the cats could stretch over several days.
Hazmat crews were summoned after agents detected a “strong odor” at the scene. Workers wearing full protective suits were later seen entering the boarded-up residence.
Investigators also carried out numerous firearms, boxes of evidence and bags of trash from the severely neglected home.
Neighbor Vex Holmquist told WPVI that she frequently noticed a stench emanating from the home.
“Every time I would walk by, it would smell really bad, kitty litter and everything, and a horrible stench every time you would walk. You could smell it from across the street,” Holmquist told the outlet.
“I’ve seen one kid, I think, play with their neighbor. That’s about it. I’ve never actually seen the people come out or anything.”
The Bachs have since been hit with a slew of charges, including endangering the welfare of a child, recklessly endangering another person, criminal conspiracy, possession of an instrument of crime, and possession of an offensive weapon.
The children have been handed over to the Department of Human Services as local and federal authorities continue to investigate the case.
The Philadelphia Police Department and the Philadelphia FBI office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment, including information on the nature of the alleged terroristic threats.
