A South Florida mother was arrested this week after her young kids were found with injuries, living in deplorable conditions, and running around outside in their diapers and covered in feces.
Anela Jean-Louis, 37, was booked into Broward County's main jail Monday and faces seven counts each of aggravated child abuse, child neglect and contributing to the delinquency/dependency of a minor, and an additional count of resisting arrest without violence.
According to an arrest report from the Miramar Police Department, an anonymous person called police to report two kids running around outside wearing diapers — one of them was covered in feces and the other was bleeding from his hand.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
When officers responded to the home, they found it was in "very deplorable conditions." It was extremely dirty, had barely any furniture, no food in the fridge, apparent feces on the floor, and had a "strong pungent odor" of feces and urine, according to the arrest report.
Three of the kids — ages 3, 2 and 1 — were transported to Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, where they were treated for their injuries. At one point, officers told the nursing staff to feed the kids because they were crying and starving, the report detailed.
The kids' injuries ranged from scars, scratches, marks and cuts, the report said. The 2-year-old had a deep cut between his finger that was about 2-3 days old, cuts on the bottom of his foot and a possible infection.
Local
When detectives questioned Jean-Louis, she screamed at them, saying she was being "set up" by her adult daughter, the report said. When officers tried to place her under arrest, she started resisting and yelling and continued to kick and flail even when she was down on the ground.
An officer sustained minor scrapes during the incident, the report stated. The Department of Children and Families took custody of the children.
Jean-Louis has had 20 cases with the DCF and currently has two open cases, records show.
