A Louisville woman has been arrested as authorities discovered her children in a state of starvation, forced to sleep outdoors.
A 16-year-old girl was discovered sleeping in a bathroom at her school on Wednesday, as revealed by court documents.
Officials from Jefferson County Public Schools, accompanied by police, visited the address associated with the teenager. Officers discovered two young children, aged 10 and 11, residing in a makeshift shelter made of tarps.
Based on court documents, the home was found to be in an unlivable condition, lacking basic necessities such as water and electricity. The children appeared to be suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration.
The mother, Betty Sue Snider, was arrested by the police, and the children were taken to a nearby hospital for examination.
According to relatives, the home is plagued by an infestation of spiders, roaches, and rodents. The refrigerator has been non-functional for several months and the home is filled with dirty clothes, fast food containers, cigarette butts, drug paraphernalia, and trash.
“They don’t eat nothing out of the refrigerator or the house,” Mary Burkhammer, the children’s’ great-grandmother said. “They have no bedrooms. They are a mess.”
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Burkhammer, who resides in close proximity, expressed frustration over her repeated attempts to involve the authorities. Despite her numerous calls to the police and Child Protective Services, it was not until Thursday that any action was finally taken.
“I don’t know what’s the matter with the mother,” Burkhammer said. “I don’t, this is just like a dream, how can you leave a kid one day and one night knowin’ they don’t have nothin’ to eat and they don’t know for sure. She knows they don’t come down here because they are told to stay away from me. If they are caught down here, no tellin’ what would happen.”
As per the arrest citation, Snider informed the police that she was aware of the uninhabitable condition of the home and the presence of items, as well as the fact that the children were sleeping outdoors. Furthermore, Snider confessed to authorities that she would frequently leave the children unattended at the location for long periods.
Snider faces multiple charges related to endangering and abandoning minors. She is scheduled to appear in court on Friday morning for her arraignment.
