A Louisiana mother has been arrested and charged with child desertion and cruelty to juveniles after allegedly leaving her four children, all under the age of 6, in a feces-covered apartment while she went out in the early morning hours.
Daionjanee Young, 25, of Lake Charles, was arrested after authorities discovered the conditions in which she left her children on Friday, according to the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office (CPSO).
The CPSO responded to a welfare check at an apartment complex on Winterhalter Street in Lake Charles at approximately 10:00 a.m. after receiving a report of four unsupervised children.
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“During the investigation, CPSO Special Victims Unit detectives arrived on scene and observed the apartment to be covered in feces with a bucket of urine inside,” CPSO officials alleged in a press release. “The children were observed to be soiled, with the youngest having a severe diaper rash.”
Young was reportedly not present at the apartment when deputies arrived. She returned approximately two hours later, after the investigation had begun.
“When detectives spoke with her she stated she left the children sleeping at the home around 2 or 3 a.m. to pick up food but found the fast food restaurant to be closed,” CPSO officials said. “She advised detectives she then went to a friend’s house, where she fell asleep.”
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Young was arrested and booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center. Her bond was still pending as of Monday.
CPSO Sheriff Stitch Guillory expressed his dismay at the conditions the children were living in, calling it “heartbreaking.”
“We appreciate the community members who alerted us to this situation,” Guillory said. “The children have been placed in state custody by the Department of Child and Family Services.”
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