Mother neglects children in infested home
VIDEO - In a South Jackson home, three children huddled together, frightened and hungry inside the closet of a filthy house and covered with roaches...
In a South Jackson home, three children huddled together, frightened and hungry inside the closet of a filthy house and covered with roaches.
Investigators are searching for a 7 year old as the mother of two of the children faces child neglect charges.
There are children’s toys, a bag of cookies, an opened and what appeared to be spoiled jar of mayonnaise, and roaches in almost every space of the home.
The landlord and owner, Dub Waltz said 24-year-old Lena Crosby and her father Eddie Crosby have lived here for about a year and never paid rent. He did not know the condition of the house or the three children he found inside, hiding in a closet.
“I opened the door and cut the light on and there’s three little eyes looking at me,” Waltz said.
Waltz and constable Jerry Moore arrived Tuesday morning with an eviction notice. They could not believe the children; a 2-year-old girl and 3-month-old boy had been left here with a 12-year-old, now identified as Lena Crosby’s younger sister.
“The only thing she had to feed the infant was some water. There was no food in the house or anything else,” Moore said.
Lena Crosby is facing one count of felony child neglect. Hinds County child protection and sex crimes investigator Angela Williams at UMC arrested her where the children were taken. Crosby said nothing as she was brought into the Hinds County Jail Tuesday night.
“There is raw sewage in the house that backed up within the toilet and the tub area. There are pests inside the house, which need to have an exterminator to come in. rats, roaches? Yes,” Williams said.
The children are now in the custody of the Department of Human Services. DHS officials say it is important to report any signs of child abuse or neglect.
“Wherever you are if you observe any type of abuse or neglect of a child you can certainly report it anonymously,” DHS regional director Maggie Mixon said.
Investigators continue to search for Eddie Crosby and his 7-year-old son. Crosby faces possible charges and officers want to make sure the boy is safe.
