Editor’s note: If you know or suspect a child is experiencing harm or is endangered, call 800-422-4453, text HELP to that number or call 911.
An initial report of a paralyzed kitten being thrown down a staircase led police in Northern Ohio to a home where officers reported finding 13 young children living in horrific conditions.
The Toledo Police Department said officers responded about 6:30 p.m. local time on Aug. 10 to reports of an animal complaint at a home in the 300 block of Raymer Boulevard.
A police report obtained by USA TODAY says officers were called by someone who said a kitten had been thrown down stairs and was paralyzed at the home located 2.5 miles southeast of downtown Toledo.
While at the scene, police found 13 children, ages 1-13, living in “deplorable” and “unsafe” conditions inside the home, officers wrote in the report.
Body camera footage released by police shows an officer approach the home before knocking at the front door and saying, “What is that stench?”
The footage also shows a man answering the door and permitting officers to enter the home, as flies are seen buzzing around the residence. The man is seen in the video leading officers upstairs, where kittens were found inside a room.
Additionally, the video shows children inside the home who appear eager to lead officers to the room upstairs, where they reportedly found the kittens in OK condition.
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Officers find insect infestations, multiple bug bites, feces on floor
According to an arrest affidavit, officers found the children suffering from bug bites and multiple insect infestations while in the home with no working toilet or shower, no food in the kitchen and human and animal feces on the floors.
The children “appeared filthy as if they had not been bathed in days,” charging documents filed with the Toledo Clerk of Court say.
In addition to the conditions in the home, police found an animal that appeared not to have been cared for, the complaint continues.
All the alleged circumstances “put their health and safety at risk,” officers wrote in the report.
“These kids didn’t sign up for that,” an officer says to the man who answered the door during the body camera footage.
3 arrested after children found in ‘deplorable’ conditions plead not guilty
Police arrested family members Angel Lambert, 32; Cassandra Lambert, 27; and Angel Oliveri, 28, in connection with the case, according to the arrest affidavit.
Lucas County Sheriff’s Office online records show that all three individuals were hit with multiple felony charges of endangering the welfare of children.
The online court records do not show attorneys listed for the three people.
According to the Toledo Blade and WTVG-TV, the three relatives appeared in court on Aug. 11, pleaded not guilty to their respective charges and were released on their own recognizance.
A judge also temporarily forbade them from having contact with the children who were placed in protective custody, according to the outlets.
On Wednesday, Sept. 3, police spokesperson Prince Flores told USA TODAY that officers had not previously been dispatched to the home for any calls.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Animal abuse call leads police to 13 children in insect-infested home
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