A Florida woman is accused of allowing her three children to live in deplorable conditions in a home that authorities described as a “house of horror” and “the worst house in the world.”
Jacqueline Daniel, 43, is charged with three counts of child neglect, according to Volusia County court records. She was arrested on Monday.
According to a charging affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, deputies from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home on West New York Avenue in Orange City to assist the Florida Department of Children and Families in checking on the children.
However, what the officers say they saw shocked them.
It was dubbed “the worst house in the world.” “Completely overwhelmed with roaches, lice, black mold, feces, and trash piled high,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood told Orlando NBC affiliate WESH. “By the mother’s own admission, she says the house isn’t fit for humans to be living there — it wasn’t even fit for an animal.”
Daniel is thought to have been aware of the dangerous conditions but allowed them to continue. According to body camera footage reviewed by a local outlet, the Florida mother told responding deputies, “I know I deserve this.” I want a chance to make this right.”
The children, ages 9, 10, and 15, had lice in their hair, brows, and eyelashes, according to the sheriff’s office, with one of them requiring hospitalization due to the severity of the infestation. According to the affidavit, Daniel “admitted to knowing” that her children had lice but were not treated for it.
Chitwood described the residence as “one of the worst I’ve ever seen” and stated that the situation could have worsened if deputies had not arrived.
According to the court document, one bedroom in the home was infested with cockroaches, while another was locked. The children’s bathroom sink was also reported to be clogged with foam and brown water.
Cockroaches were “falling off the ceiling, crawling all around the floors/furniture,” and one child was “observed sitting on the couch with cockroaches crawling on her” and all over her brother’s bed.
There were also “holes in the walls with cockroaches leaving and entering” and “what appeared to be black mold/dirt/dust” throughout one room.
According to local Fox affiliate WOFL, the sheriff stated that Daniel appeared to be more concerned about how going to jail would affect her massage therapy license than the well-being of her children. According to her, “she does not get any child support and has been having a rough time trying to get a better job while also taking care of her children,” according to the statement of allegations.
The children were reportedly taken to Fish Memorial Hospital in Orange City for treatment and are currently in state custody. Daniel was booked into the Volusia County Jail and had her first court appearance on Tuesday.
However, court records show that she was released from custody later that day.
