In a house in Houston, Texas, the police found the body of a 9-year-old boy in a distant state of decomposition and three severely neglected children. The police speak of a “horrific situation”.
One of the children, a 15-year-old boy, is said to have called the police himself and told that his 9-year-old brother had been dead for almost a year and that his body was in the room next door, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Sunday during a press conference.
The sheriff said that police found the 15-year-old boy, along with two other brothers, ages 10 and 7, alone at home on Sunday in a severely neglected condition. The children appeared malnourished and showed signs of physical injury.
All three were taken to hospital for examination, writes The Washington Post. According to the police, the parents of the children had not lived in the house for at least several months. In addition, the electricity was cut off.
The mother of the children and her current boyfriend were tracked down by police late Sunday night. After interrogation, they were released the next day. No charges have been filed yet. Instead, the children have been handed over to child protection. “It’s heartbreaking. I’ve been a cop for a long time, but I’ve never seen anything like this,” Sheriff Gonzales said.
