Missouri, March 23: A Mother was arrested after allegedly leaving her six young children, aged one through to 11, home alone inside a filthy home in Kansas City, Missouri, for nearly two days, MyFox National reports.
According to police, officers found two children playing catch with a billiard ball in the snow late Sunday evening.
Officers told FOX 4 News that the children said their 32-year-old mother, Lekisha Jackson, had not been home since sometime early Saturday morning.
The officers followed the children back to their home, then performed a residence check on the house where they discovered four other children alone.
Officers said that the home was filthy, with broken windows and furniture, holes in the walls, trash and excrement on the floors, expired and spoiled food in the kitchen as well as a hot plate that had been left on with a piece of paper on it. There was also evidence of rats and mice in the house.
“The condition of the house, just complete fifth,” said Officer Michael Hosworth, who inspected the home.
“Trash and old food all over the floor, covered in dirty clothes, animal faeces all over the place, holes in the walls.”
Police say that two of the six children, ages 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 and 11, were wearing urine-soaked clothing, and all of the children said that they were hungry and thirsty.
“The one year old and three-year old were soaked from head to toe from urinating on themselves,” said Officer Hosworth. “And they were obviously sick, they couldn’t stop coughing.”
Police officers made the children some noodles that were found in the kitchen while another officer went to McDonalds to buy them all Happy Meals.
“I did what I could,” said Officer Antoney Perez.
“I found some ramen noodles, cooked six packs and they devoured it in a matter of seconds.”
According to the police report, their mother Lekisha Jackson returned to the residence while the officers were there, and she was placed under arrest for child endangerment.
Officers, who say that Ms Jackson told them that she couldn’t make it home because of the weather and didn’t have any gas money, reported smelling alcohol on the woman’s breath.
“This couldn’t be,” said Ms Jackson’s mother, Barbara Attaway, who is now taking care of the children.
“This couldn’t be so. Something is wrong here. Something is wrong because that is not Lekisha.”
“No kid should have to go through that,” said Officer Perez.
“If I can help those kids not have to experience that anymore, I’m happy.”
Ms Jackson remains in custody, but charges have not yet been filed in the case.
—Agencies