A woman from Tennessee has been arrested for allegedly subjecting her children to deplorable living conditions, as reported by law enforcement in the Volunteer State.

Mindy Michelle Mooney, aged 36, faces charges of three counts of child abuse and neglect, as detailed by the Macon County Sheriff’s Office.

The charges relate to the living circumstances of several children at a home located along Tennessee State Route 52 in Westmoreland, a small town situated roughly 50 miles northeast of Nashville. This section of the road is commonly referred to by locals as Highway 52 West.

The authorities have not disclosed the identities of the children involved in the case.

On October 9, a detective from Macon County visited the Mooney residence following a request from a Macon County deputy and an investigator from the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. This came after the child welfare agency sought law enforcement support in a suspected child abuse and neglect investigation, according to a complaint affidavit obtained by the Macon County Chronicle.

Children inside quickly gave the detective statements about the dire state of affairs, authorities say. The children allegedly said trash and animal feces littered the residence — all over the floors, on the furniture, and even in their bedding, according to law enforcement.

The detective himself lent credence to those claims, describing trash covering the entire floor inside as well as the strong scent of animal feces said to be emanating from the Mooney abode.

The alleged victims went on to describe a life where they frequently had no food to eat, the sheriff’s office claims. Indeed, investigators noted that all of the food in the refrigerator and cabinets was molded over or otherwise ruined, according to the complaint affidavit.

But the allegedly filthy and neglectful conditions in the house were not the only issues, according to Detective Robert Jacoby.

The children also told the detective they were physically threatened by their parents, according to the sheriff’s office.

One victim is said to have recalled an instance when their mother advised their stepfather on the proper way to beat the children. The child said Mooney told her husband that, when he hits the children, to “make sure he hits them in the throat,” according to the affidavit.

Authorities also allege the children in the Mooney residence were pulled out of the local public school system and stopped attending any kind of educational or enrichment activities as of Sept. 1.

Citing the circumstances of the residence and the condition of the children themselves, Mooney was arrested, charged and detained in the Macon County Jail on $60,000 bond.

The defendant was slated to first appear in General Sessions court on Wednesday, according to the Chronicle. As of this writing, however, the docket for her case is not a matter of public record.

Law&Crime reached out to the Macon County Sheriff’s Office for additional details on this story but no response was immediately forthcoming at the time of publication.