Three starving children, ages 7, 10, and 15, were found living alone in an apartment in deplorable conditions, along with the decomposing ...
Three starving children, ages 7, 10, and 15, were found living alone in an apartment in deplorable conditions, along with the decomposing remains of their nine-year-old brother who police say had been dead for a year.
The siblings and skeletal remains were found at 3535 Green Crest, near Addicks Clodine & Westpark Tollway, in Houston, Texas, around 4.30 pm on Sunday, after responding to a request for a welfare check that was made by eldest child.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzales said the three brothers were living without adult supervision for months in deplorable conditions and that the body of the dead child was on full display.
In an update late Sunday, Gonzalez revealed that the children's mother and her boyfriend have been located and interviewed by homicide detectives.
On Monday, the sheriff announced that the couple were released without being arrested or charged with any crime.
While there were no indications that the children were locked in the house, they had seemingly been abandoned by adults and were 'fending for each other.'
Three siblings and skeletal remains presumed to be of a fourth sibling were found at 3535 Green Crest in Houston on Sunday
HCSO Sheriff Ed Gonzales said an unit was sent to do a welfare check at the residence after receiving a call. The body was not concealed
'I think the oldest sibling was doing the best he could to take care of the others,' Gonzales said.
'Connecting all the dots, it seems they were in there while the body was deteriorating.'
HCSO is now investigating to determine the circumstances that led to the death of the minor and how long the kids had been alone.
The gruesome incident began unfolding at around 3.15pm on Sunday, when cops received a 911 call from the 15-year-old boy, telling a dispatcher that his nine-year-old brother had been dead for a year and his skeletonized body was in a room next to his in the family's apartment.
The teen also revealed that his parents had not been living in the apartment for several months, Gonzales said in a tweet.
Deputies were dispatched to the apartment and found the remains of a small child.
According to the sheriff, the younger siblings 'appeared malnourished and showed signs of physical injury.'
All three surviving children were taken to a hospital to be evaluated and treated for their injuries.
The minors are now receiving professional assistance, and victim's advocates have been made available to help them cope with the trauma.
Homicide investigators along with CPS and Child Abuse investigators are also working on the case.
It is unclear whether any of the surviving siblings were enrolled in school.
The children had seemingly been left abandoned by adults for a long period of time and were 'fending for each other'
Homicide investigators along with CPS and Child Abuse investigators are also working on the case
Residents of the area said that management had been doing inspection rounds in the area for the last couple of weeks.
Police said the investigation is still in the preliminary stages .
'Very horrific situation here, very tragic. I've been in this business for a long time and I've never heard of a scenario like this, it really caught me by surprise,' said Gonzales when addressing the media on Sunday evening.
'We are trying to identify next of kin to determine exactly what happened and how we got to this point...We're going to make sure we conduct a thorough follow-up investigation,' he added.
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