Authorities remove 9 children from home
Parents face charges after ‘deplorable’ conditions allegedly found in Spring home
Nine children have been placed in state custody after authorities say they were found living in unsanitary and “deplorable” living conditions at a Spring residence.
Nine children were placed in Child Protective Services custody Wednesday after authorities discovered they were living among trash, mold and food waste in a quiet Spring neighborhood, according to the Montgomery County Constable’s Office.
Within the previous 24 hours, authorities said they began receiving multiple reports urging them to check on the two-story brick home in the 1600 block of Julia Park Drive from neighbors who had not seen the children for a while, according to Chief Deputy Constable Matthew Rodrigue with the Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office.
The parents, Sabrina and Daniel Bell, have been taken into custody and will be charged with child endangerment, he said. A search warrant also was executed at the residence.
Authorities went to the home on Tuesday, but no one was there. They returned around lunchtime Wednesday, and in conducting the search, they found substandard living conditions.
“It’s not the place you would want to see nine children, much less a single child being raised,” Rodrigue said. “It was quite deplorable.”
The children found living inside the house range from 13 months to 10 years old, Rodrigue said. One child was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital based upon a recommendation of EMS officials. It is unclear if that child has been released from the hospital yet, Rodrigue said.
Child Protective Services confirmed the children are in custody. CPS is collaborating with the constable’s office on the investigation, according to spokeswoman Tejal Patel. CPS plans to place the children in foster care and is looking for appropriate placements. It is unknown if CPS was ever called to the home before.
On Wednesday evening, neighbors were mowing their lawns and walking their dogs, but all but one declined to talk about the incident.
Keith Barnett, a neighbor of the Bells, said he did not recall seeing the kids in the entire six years he has lived across the street.
“I’m a dad with a lot of kids,” Barnett said. “It breaks my heart if there was something going on with the kids.”
Rodrigue said he expects more charges to be filed against the parents as the investigation unfolds.
Last November in Fort Bend County, another case with a large number of children was discovered in a Richmond-area home. In that matter, seven specialneeds children were found in a filthy room inside the home, according to authorities. The children were confined to one room that had two beds, two mats and a toilet. The adopted parents, 54-year-old Paula Sinclair and 78-year-old Allen Richardson, originally were charged with aggravated kidnapping and injury to a child.