Authorities in Florida have taken four children, one of whom is a newborn, from what has been described as a “house of horrors,” rife with animal waste and black mold.
Jodie Cannon, 26, and Jordon Wilson, 30, are facing child neglect charges alongside Cannon’s mother, Melissa Keal, 50, and stepfather, John Keal, 52. This update comes from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. Currently, there’s no information on whether they’ve entered pleas, and legal representatives have not responded to Oxygen for comment.
Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach expressed the dreadful conditions vividly in a press release, stating, “Animal feces and urine everywhere, black mold, flies – small children trying to navigate hazardous flooring conditions – and the sad part is they have grown around all of this, not knowing they were dealt the absolute worst conditions I can imagine living in a First World country.”
The investigation was set in motion on July 7 after a caseworker from the Department of Children and Families flagged the authorities to evaluate Jodie’s six-week-old infant, according to Fox 17.
The infant, notably underweight, had developed a severe diaper rash, with allegations stating that Jodie had declined to seek necessary medical care.
“When the child was admitted to the hospital, it had a low heart rate, low body temperature and low weight,” the sheriff’s office said, according to Fox 17. “It was determined that without intervention, the infant could have died.”
Jodie was arrested on July 21 after officials determined that the baby suffered from medical neglect, Fox 17 reported. The three children she shares with Jordon were then removed from the home, the sheriff’s office said.
One week later, detectives, along with members of the Putnam County SWAT team, executed a search warrant at Jodie’s Florahome residence, where the family lived.
Inside, officers encountered what they described as “deplorable” conditions, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. Floors in several rooms, including a bathroom, were rotting, partly due to water from broken pipes. The ceiling had been repaired in an unsafe way, with visible signs of black mold covered with white paint. Flies were swarming the home, including a mattress where detectives were told a child slept on. There were also cockroaches in Jordon’s room, which contained uneaten food left on dishes.
“Four dogs and three kittens were voluntarily surrendered to Putnam County Animal Services,” said the sheriff’s office. “These animals will be evaluated and placed for adoption with healthy homes. Due to the voluntary surrender, detectives are not pursuing animal neglect charges.”
Jordon, Melissa and John were arrested on July 28, the sheriff’s office said, “as they all were adult household members who failed to provide the child with care, supervision and services necessary to maintain the child’s physical and mental health.”
Melissa’s adopted child was then removed from the home. “During the initial call for service with Cannon,” said the sheriff’s office, “detectives did not have enough evidence of neglectful conditions to remove Melissa Keal’s adopted child at the time.”
The children have since been placed in foster care.
“Finally, on a positive note,” the sheriff’s office said, “we are happy to report the baby at the start of this case is thriving, happy and gaining weight. No information as to age and gender of the children will be released to protect their identity.”