A toddler clad in only a diaper was seen walking down Mason Avenue, which led to the discovery of a home so squalid and foul-smelling, that one responding police officer had to step outside and vomit, according to a report.
The child’s mother, Natasha Johnson, 22, and grandmother, Brelinda Rose, 44, were arrested and charged with child neglect.
Daytona Beach Police responded shortly before 8:45 a.m. to Pinewood Street where a woman said she had found a 2-year-old boy wandering the street near the corner of Mason.
The child’s diaper was soiled and it appeared he hadn’t been bathed in days or weeks, police said.
Responding police canvassed the area and saw an open front door to a home. Officers entered and spoke to the boy’s uncle, Haresh Barlow, who was found sleeping in one of the bedrooms, according to an arrest report.
Barlow, 18, told police he was babysitting the child, but he accidentally fell asleep and that’s when the boy walked outside, the report stated. Barlow “seemed to have a diminished mental capacity” and appeared to be unfit to properly care for the toddler. Barlow was not charged.
The officer who wrote the report, Nicolas Gurucharri, stated, “In my eleven years as a Law Enforcement Officer, this was the most repugnant residence I’ve ever entered.”
The furniture had mold. There was no running water. Hundreds of dead insects covered the floor, counter tops and various clutter. The smell inside was a mix of feces, urine and mold and one of the main sources of the foul smells was the refrigerator, which was packed with rotted food, according to police. Even the carpet and walls had mold growing on them, Gurucharri wrote.
The Florida Department of Children and Families was called to the scene and the agency took custody of the toddler and an 11-year-old girl.
