JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Kenya Marshall was arrested for child neglect and animal cruelty after police found children and pets in her “infested” home on Jan. 27, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
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According to the arrest report, officers chased the suspect of a separate incident into Marhsall’s backyard. While arresting that suspect, officers saw a “malnourished” dog that was “shaking and struggling to stand.” An officer said he could see the dog’s bones and couldn’t find any bedding or shelter in the backyard.
The officers tried to talk to the residents of the home out of concern for the dog. A child answered the door and told police Marshall was at work. He told police Marshall left him alone with no phone to contact her.
According to the report, officers immediately smelled a “pungent foul odor” when entering the house. There were “piles of old rotting garbage” and “fecal matter” all over the floor. The house was “completely infested with roaches” crawling on the walls and floor.
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Police found only two beds in the home: Marshall’s and another “covered in feces.” All of the “child victims” in the house were having to sleep on one couch, the report states. There are four victims listed on the report.
The report states the children had to heat the house with the oven, and the fridge was “entirely empty.”
Officers were going to try to call Marshall when she arrived home and was detained. The arrest report says Marshall told police she tried to call a friend to watch the kids, but the friend didn’t answer.
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Marshall also told police she remembered there being jelly and food in her room, but the report states “the only thing located in the home for food was two heads of lettuce and a box of muffin mix.”
The kids and animals were removed from the home.
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