A Missouri couple has been arrested following shocking discoveries of neglect involving four children under their care. The children, reportedly found malnourished and living in squalor, led to the apprehension of 34-year-old Stacey Laura-Louise Castleman and her 26-year-old husband, Erik Aleister Castleman.

According to court documents, the couple faces several charges, including multiple counts of child abuse or neglect, alongside charges of endangering a child’s welfare.

A probable cause affidavit reveals that Warrensburg Police Department officers responded to a tip-off from the Division of Family Services on December 27, 2025. This report raised alarms about potential child neglect at a local home. Upon arrival, officers were immediately hit by a potent stench of urine and feces. As they began their inspection, the officers noted that their boots adhered to the floor, indicating severe unsanitary conditions throughout the residence, as detailed in the affidavit.

The document further describes the grim scene: “Officers observed feces ground into the carpet, smeared across the walls, and present on the furniture.” The affidavit noted that the varying colors of the feces suggested that some had been left unattended for an extended period.

The kitchen was reportedly filled with rotting food, with dirty dishes piling up in an overflowing sink. The floor was said to be covered in dried liquid spills, and an uncovered trash can in the room’s center was overflowing with soiled diapers.

Police said that when they got to the first bedroom, there was an “overwhelming” smell of urine coming from inside.

“A bed frame and uncovered mattress were present,” the affidavit states. “The mattress was covered in paw prints of either mud or feces from the dogs. The stains were crusted into the fabric of the mattress. A blanket was found rolled up at the end of the mattress. More feces was found on the floor in this room.”

Police found the toddler in a bouncer in the kitchen. Beneath the bouncer, police said there was a “puddle of fresh urine.” When the toddler was lifted from the bouncer, a “large amount of liquid” allegedly “poured” from the diaper to the floor and officers said the child was suffering from “an aggressive diaper rash.” Stacey Castleman allegedly told police she believed the child was allergic to diapers.

In the bathroom on the first floor, officers said the toilet and tub were both covered in feces and the toilet was overflowing with “toilet paper and tampons.”

On the second floor, police said they found the bedrooms of three more kids, all of whom were between ages 3 and 8. The children all allegedly slept on bare mattresses that were brown due to a combination of dirt and feces.

“The floors of each room had toys and clothing sitting in the feces,” the affidavit states. “Officers looked in the bathroom on this floor and found it was filthy. There was human feces and human urine on the floor, overflowing the toilet, in the bathtub, and in a bucket that was lined with a plastic bag.”

Police said all three kids were filthy, were infested with lice, and walked around the feces-filled home in bare feet.

An officer in the home said he overheard Stacey Castleman telling a Division of Family Services worker to “just take the foster kids,” adding, “obviously it’s too much for me to handle.”

Stacey Castleman allegedly told police the home was in disarray “due to it being the holiday season” before stating that she wanted to “give all the kids up.”

Both defendants are being held in Johnson County Jail on $10,000 bond. Stacey Castleman is currently scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on Jan. 14, records show. Her husband is slated to appear on Jan. 21.