The skeletal remains of a child and three surviving siblings who appear to have been abandoned have been found inside an apartment in the Houston area of Texas, US.
One of the children, a 15-year-old, called the Harris County sheriff’s office on Sunday afternoon and told authorities that his nine-year-old brother had been dead for a year and the body was inside the apartment, the office said in a statement.
Deputies responded and found the teenager and two other siblings aged 10 and seven living alone in the apartment, said the Harris County sheriff, Ed Gonzalez. The other child’s skeletal remains were also located.
“It appears that the remains had been there for an extended period of time. And I emphasize extended,” Gonzalez said.
The sheriff said it also appeared the surviving children were “fending for each other”, with the oldest caring for the younger two. It was unclear whether any were attending school.
The younger children appeared malnourished and had physical injuries, the statement said. All three were taken to a hospital to be assessed and treated.
The mother of the children and her boyfriend were later located, authorities said. Both were being questioned.
Neighbors expressed shock and disbelief when they learned about the children. Kayla Williams told the Houston Chronicle she had two children but did not plan to tell them what happened. “I don’t need to put this in their heads,” she said. “This is crazy.”
