STATESBORO, Ga. — A mother is in custody, facing 13 counts of cruelty to children in the first degree after police found her 10 children living in poor conditions without supervision or food.
Police say the 36-year-old woman, who tells them she's also expecting another child, often left her 14-year-old son in charge of his nine other siblings, according to investigators.
"Anybody that's got kids knows that's totally unrealistic and totally unsafe for that number," said Capt. Jared Akins of the Statesboro Police Department.
The investigation began 2 weeks ago when an apartment owner reported the family for squatting without a lease. Officers who checked on the family found the children living alone in unsanitary conditions and without any heat.
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"What happens if one of the children eats something and starts choking? Nobody here knows how to deal with first aid. What if there's a fire? They're not gonna get out in time," Akins said. "For anybody that's got kids—that's a concern."
The situation escalated when police linked the children to reports of thefts from cars in the Cottage Row apartment complex. Surveillance footage led investigators to the Extended Stay motel nextdoor where the family had relocated.
"The living conditions in that Extended Stay room—which they've only been in for a few short days—are just horrendous," Akins said. "There's animal waste, used plates, children without clothing, without diapers, things like that, with zero supervision whatsoever from an adult."
Akins says detectives witnessed one child gnawing on a styrofoam plate.
Some of the older children are facing theft charges, while the younger siblings are now in the custody of the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS).
"The actual care of kids is not something that government ever succeeds in. That's a parent responsibility," Akins said.
DFCS, which was already familiar with the family, has relocated the children to another county to live with relatives.