A 25-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman from Oconomowoc have been charged with multiple counts of felony child neglect after authorities discovered their five children living in unsanitary and dangerous conditions in a basement where the family had been staying for the past three years.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court, both parents face two counts of chronic neglect of a child and three counts of neglecting a child under six. If convicted on all charges, they could face up to 22 years in prison. Warrants have been issued for their arrest, and records show the mother now lists an address in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
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The investigation began on September 14 after the woman’s mother called police to request a welfare check on her grandchildren. The grandmother expressed concern for the children’s safety, citing her daughter’s bipolar condition and uncertainty over whether she had taken her medication that day.
(Waukesha County Jail)
She told officers that while she kept her own living space upstairs clean, the couple and their five children—ages two to seven—lived in “horrific” conditions in the basement, as per WKRC. When police arrived, the father insisted that everyone was fine and said the mother had been “stressed out.” However, officers reported an overwhelming musty smell and a strong odor of ammonia.
The basement, which consisted of two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a small living area, was filled with garbage, rotting food, and soiled clothing. Nearly 90% of the floor was covered in trash and linens, and officers found multiple animal cages scattered throughout the space. Two of the children had bug bites and scabs on their arms, legs, and faces.
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Police also discovered soiled diapers on the floor, piles of dirty bedding, and no clean sleeping spaces. One child had been sleeping inside a moldy play set. Officers noted the presence of a dead mouse, a dead fish in a glass, rotting food, and cat feces on the floor. They also found loose gabapentin pills—an anticonvulsant medication—within easy reach of the children.
(Waukesha County Jail)
“When asked if she was doing OK, 7-year-old Victim A responded, ‘Yeah. I haven’t killed myself yet,’” the complaint stated. The mother admitted she had not taken her medication that day due to nausea and said she was overwhelmed. She also told police she “just needed a break.” Investigators discovered that none of the children had ever been to a dentist and did not appear to brush their teeth.
The complaint further revealed that the mother had obtained more than 1,300 gabapentin capsules over a six-month period. Authorities said similar conditions had been reported to child protective services in both 2022 and 2023, but the couple continued to live in the same environment with their children and numerous animals.