Englewood authorities discovered nine starving children inside a filthy two-story apartment.
Englewood authorities reported that nine children were retrieved from an insalubrious apartment located in the 900th Block of West 59th Street. The children had no food and water, and, according to the Fire Department who helped evacuate them, one of the windows was broken, and they had no heat. Authorities said that their parents were nowhere in sight and several families shared the same apartment.
On Sunday, at approximately 1:00 pm, an unknown individual contacted the authorities. The man told the police that he has seen at least nine children wandering around an apartment building situated at the 900th Block West 59th Street. He added that there was no adult in sight and that the children had a dirty appearance.
The law enforcement authorities and the Englewood fire department rushed to the scene in order to investigate the man’s allegation. Although all of them are trained professionals, they had a hard time describing what was inside the apartment where the children were found fending for themselves.
According to one of the firefighters who took part in the operation, as soon as they arrived in front of the door, they were hit by a rancid smell. Inside the apartment, they found nine children, the youngest of them being a baby.
As the firefighters told the reporters, the children were living in unimaginable conditions – the apartment was in shambles, they had no running water, and nothing to keep them warm, save for a few tattered blankets.
After conducting a quick search of the house, the firefighters and police officers found out that the children had no food and that one of the windows was broken. All of the children were rushed to the hospital for emergency care. According to the doctors, the children were a little malnourished, but apart from that, they were in good health.
Meanwhile, the law enforcement authorities are trying to find the children’s parents. For the time being, the youngsters were placed in a foster home. After a couple of hours, the authorities identified an individual who claimed that he was the father of some of the children who are living in the apartment.
The man told the police that he did not abandon his children. Moreover, the man kept telling the authorities that the children’s mother was just out buying groceries. However, this is highly unlikely, since the authorities have determined that, given the state of the apartment, the children must have been left alone for a couple of days at least. No arrests were made so far.
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