USA — This is the stuff of which horror movies are made. But this was no movie.
Three malnourished children and the skeletal remains of another sibling were found in an apartment in the area whose main city is Houston, months after their mother had abandoned them.
Then on Sunday afternoon, the police received a call from the eldest child, a teenager, asking for help, and letting them know that his nine-year-old brother had been dead for a year and his remains were in the room next to his.
The 15-year-old boy told the police that the surviving kids, including his two younger brothers who are seven and 10 years old, had been left in the apartment for months. He had made the call at about 3:15 pm on Oct 24.
When authorities visited the apartment in Harris County, the most populous county in Texas, they confirmed the information relayed in the call, noting the skeletal remains of the sibling was consistent with the age provided.
They took the children to a nearby hospital to be assessed and treated. The children seemed malnourished and showed signs of physical injury, reported Khou 11 News, citing investigators. Child Protective Services (CPS) and police are investigating.
“To ensure the safety of the children, the Department of Family and Protective Services is seeking emergency custody of the three boys. Child Protective Services does have a history with the family, but there was no active CPS investigation at the time the children were discovered alone in their apartment,” said CPS on Monday (Oct 25).
Houston media reported that the children’s mother, Gloria Y Williams, 35, has been charged with injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence. Her boyfriend, W. Coulter, 31, has been charged with murder. The dead child had died from “homicidal violence” and had suffered multiple blunt force injuries.
In a tweet on Monday, Sheriff Gonzalez noted “no new developments” on the incident. “Mother and her boyfriend were located, interviewed and released.”
There are no new developments this morning regarding the scene on Green Crest. Mother and her boyfriend were located, interviewed and released. CPS is assisting with the children. Our investigation remains on-going. No charges have been filed. #HouNews
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) October 25, 2021
“In our experience, it’s always best to not speculate and just let the investigation take its course, but a very disturbing set of circumstances, so we definitely want some answers for these children,” the sheriff added.
On Tuesday (Oct 26), the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office announced that the child suffered from homicidal violence, reported The Independent UK.
The child had multiple blunt force injuries, ruling the manner of death as a homicide. The age, gender, cause of death and the date when the child died remain unconfirmed. /TISG
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