A Pennsylvania mother has confessed to leaving her children in deplorable conditions to pursue what she described as a “new and better life” without them.

Heidi Beer, aged 35, entered a guilty plea in October to charges including five counts of child endangerment, five counts of recklessly endangering another person, and making false reports, as documented in Westmoreland County court records. Her sentencing is scheduled for December 19.

Both Beer and her 69-year-old mother, Leslie Ann Keller, were taken into custody on July 28 after police in Vandergrift Borough responded to a reported altercation. What the authorities discovered was startling.

A pervasive odor emanated from the residence, and upon entering, officers had to navigate around significant piles of feces, spoiled food, and pools of urine on the floors, as detailed in a criminal complaint reviewed by Pittsburgh ABC affiliate WTAE. Four children, ranging from ages 9 to 16, were found inside, with the eldest informing officers that their mother had been absent for several days.

The children reportedly had no water, with the shower spigot having been broken off. “It was very obvious that water had not been on in a long time,” the affidavit stated, adding that the children”s beds were observed to be deflated air mattresses, and there were holes in the ceiling across the home.

Authorities noted that Beer was not the sole guardian of the children; their grandmother, Keller, lived just a mile away and was aware of the dire lack of food and water in Beer’s house. One child mentioned that Keller had not visited the property for months due to its squalid state. Allegedly, the grandmother admitted that the children would fill empty cat litter containers with water at her home, as their own lacked basic necessities.

When Keller tried to reprimand the 16-year-old girl for not cleaning up, a responding officer scolded the older woman, telling her it was not the “children’s responsibility to clean this absolute disgrace of a mess,” WTAE reported.

The children then told authorities where they believed their mom was — living with her boyfriend in Pittsburgh, about a 50-minute drive away, and that he had asked her to leave them behind because he could “give her a new and better life without them.” He was also allegedly abusive to the children.

Beer was being held in the Westmoreland County Prison on a $20,000 bond until she posted it on Aug. 13.

Keller was also charged with five counts of endangering the welfare of children; it is unclear if she has submitted a plea. Her next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 17.