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Authorities in Georgia apprehended a couple on charges of child cruelty after discovering their three young children unattended and living in squalor at a campsite in Carroll County last month.
According to court documents, the children, aged 2, 4, and 5, were found at Little Tallapoosa Park, where the family had taken refuge after reportedly losing their residence, as reported by WAGA. Another camper noticed the children were unsupervised and contacted the authorities when the two older kids revealed they hadn’t eaten for two days.
The youngest child, a 2-year-old boy with Down syndrome, was discovered in a dire state, unable to hold his head up, walk, or speak.
Emergency services were summoned to transport the children to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Just as the ambulance arrived, the parents, identified as Jason, 46, and Kira Askea, 41, returned to the campsite.
Arrest warrants revealed that the 2-year-old had suffered brain damage due to medical neglect, with deputies noting the child’s seizures had gone untreated.
Arrest affidavits say the parents had stopped the boy’s prescribed oxygen suppoer which was “essential for his brain development” and had removed a feeding tube that was “essential for his calorie intake,” Law&Crime reported.
All three children had sign of dental neglect.
The Askeas are being held without bond on charges of cruelty to children with excessive physical or mental pain, while the children are in state custody.