A Connecticut mother is accused of leaving her four children home alone without food or clothing while she traveled to New York.
Officers responded to a welfare check at a Vernon residence at the request of a neighbor on Nov. 8, according to a Nov. 19 news release from the Vernon Police Department.
An 11-year-old girl opened the door and officers said they were “hit with the smell of cat urine, rotting food, and feces,” according to an arrest warrant.
The child told police her mother wasn’t home, and she didn’t know when she left or when she’d be back, court records show.
Seeing the girl had a cell phone in her hand, the officer asked if she could call her mother, and the child said she could not make outgoing calls, authorities said. The phone only had the mother’s old number, according to police.
Three more children ages 6, 4, and 3, appeared behind the oldest girl without clothes, authorities said.
Officers said the apartment was in “deplorable” condition with trash, dirt and feces covering most surfaces and no food in the fridge, court records show.
Officers also noted standing dirty water in the bathroom sink and tub, “high enough for a child to drown,” according to the arrest warrant.
Police said multiple neighbors mentioned that the mother would “steal her 11-year-old’s shoes” so she couldn’t go to school and would be forced to stay home and take care of her siblings, records show.
The child’s school principal told police the school had given the 11-year-old several pairs of shoes and clothing that have “disappeared,” police said.
Authorities made contact with the 40-year-old mother who was located via traffic cameras in Poughkeepsie, New York, over 100 miles from her apartment in Vernon, records show.
After at first telling officers that she “would be back in an hour,” she told police she left because she was “depressed and overwhelmed with caring for her children, records show.
Police said the mother had “no intention of returning to care for her children.”
The woman was arrested in New York on four counts of risk of injury to a child and was extradited back to Connecticut on Nov. 18, according to police.
McClatchy News is not naming the mother to protect the identities of her children, who were removed from the apartment by the Department of Children and Families.
Vernon is about a 15-mile drive northeast from Hartford, Connecticut.
If you suspect a child has experienced, is currently experiencing, or is at risk of experiencing abuse or neglect, your first step should be to contact the appropriate agency. The Child Welfare Information Gateway has a list of state agencies you can contact. Find help specific to your area here.
For additional help, the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline has professional crisis counselors available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in over 170 languages. All calls are confidential. The hotline offers crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources. You can call or text 1-800-422-4453.
If you believe a child is in immediate danger, please call 911 for help.
