6 Children Found Living in Abandoned Ohio Home as Mother Faces 5 Child-Endangerment Charges

A mother in Dayton, Ohio, received five child-endangerment charges, but the twist is that the police say a misunderstanding was involved in the whole thing. According to reports, Dayton police responded to a welfare check around 12:30 on October 1. The location was in the 3500 block of Delphos Avenue.

Inside, the police found five children, ages 4 to 12. The property itself was also boarded up, with no food, electricity, or adult supervision. The body cam footage released by the police showcases the authorities entering the house with the children’s help, though they also discovered that there was a sixth child. He was 15 years old and was subsequently located at school and placed with Montgomery County Children’s Services. On the other hand, the youngest child was placed with a relative.

Police reported that the children may have lived at the property for about three weeks, though city records indicated no one was supposed to be living there. The police later discovered that the mother was in the hospital when the officers arrived, and a police lieutenant reported that the children had sometimes gone to another family member’s home for food and showers.

It took over a week, but the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office ultimately approved five misdemeanor charges of endangering children against the mother on October 14. For context, the initial discovery of the children happened on October 1, while the body-camera footage was released on October 5.

The Police Say a Misunderstanding Was Involved

According to Police Lieutenant Eric Sheldon, the mother was struggling to care for a large family. She also had eight children in total, of whom seven were under 18. Since she was at the hospital, reports state that the 15-year-old was supposed to remain at home and care for the younger children. However, the police state that he either misunderstood the instructions or didn’t receive them at all because he went to school.