A Florida mother was arrested this week for living in filthy conditions with her two children, according to law enforcement in the Sunshine State.
Autumn Witt, 22, faces two counts of neglect without great bodily harm, according to the Indian River Sheriff’s Office.
According to a statement of probable cause, the underlying incident stemmed from a report by a case worker for the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), which included repeated allegations that the defendant was physically abused by an unnamed “paramour”.
On May 20, a deputy responded to that call, which included allegations of drug use, and arrived at the residence to investigate.
The deputy inspects the house in the affidavit.
“I was immediately struck by the aroma of garbage as I exited my patrol vehicle,” the narrative reads. “I observed a swarm of flies surrounding the garbage and the front porch area of the house which was littered with empty soda and alcohol containers.”
Witt then greeted and invited the deputy inside, according to the court documents.
“I was immediately taken back by an overwhelming stench of urine and feces inside the residence,” according to the narrative. “Witt stated that there were several cats, a large dog and several lizards living inside the residence and the urine smell was due to her roommates not cleaning up after the animals and also partly due to one of the roommates … urinating on walls inside the home when he is intoxicated.”
The DCF intake form contains similar information about how the situation in the house affects the two children living there.
The welfare agent wrote, “The home is dirty.” “The house smells like urine and ammonia. The parents are not cleaning up the cat/dog’s feces and urine. The parents wash the dishes in the bathtub because the kitchen is broken. “The children are unkempt.”
The deputy claims to have confirmed that the sink is inoperable.
“Witt stated that the kitchen sink has not been operable and they are doing the dishes in the bathroom,” as the story goes on. “I observed the kitchen sink to have several dead roaches inside and what appeared to be some type of mold growing on the inside.”
The deputy reported that the temperature inside the house was 82 degrees. Witt, for her part, allegedly claimed the air conditioner did not function properly and blamed the heat inside on the rising outside temperature.
According to the affidavit, the defendant denied both allegations of drug abuse and physical abuse by her current boyfriend, and a follow-up drug test came back negative.
The defendant then allegedly told a story about discovering blood in her daughter’s feces, which led to a hospital visit. Witt claimed that her daughter had “diarrhea and was vomiting for approximately a week prior to the ER visit,” according to the court document.
The deputy spoke at length about how and what the 3-year-old girl was doing.
“I did not interview [the girl], but I noticed she appeared to have not been bathed recently,” the narrative reads. “[Her] fingernails were black underneath, and there appeared to be several bug bites on her arms, as well as scratches that [the girl] stated to [the DCF employee] were from the cat.”
Witt told me the bites were from mosquitoes, which she scratches and irritates. Witt stated that the bites were present when the girl was brought to the ER, but nothing was said about them. “I saw [the girl] playing on the floor with dead bugs and feces while inside the house.”
The mother allegedly stated that her “home was in disarray” as a result of her own recent hospitalization for a bacterial infection.
In the end, the mother and children were taken to a child welfare center, where the mother was informed that her children would be temporarily placed in DCF custody unless she brought the house up to health standards or found another living arrangement.
The deputy later obtained a warrant, and Witt was arrested on May 28.
“Due to the living conditions in the home, the possibility of serious long term health risks associated, and Witt being the caregiver of the children making no efforts to remedy the living conditions despite being home with the children, having no physical disabilities herself, and being hospitalized herself due to a bacterial infection, I believe Witt to have an utter disregard for the children’s welfare,” according to the law enforcement report.
She is currently detained at the Indian River County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
