Detectives responding to an animal cruelty call in Cleveland, Texas, were horrified to discover a one-year-old girl suckling on spoiled milk beside a cage with cockroaches crawling in and out of her diaper.
Police believe mother Mabel Jo Larsen, 32 and the baby’s father, Aaron Michael Parker, 34, kept the child a secret after Child Protective Services took away five of their other children.
Neighbors called the authorities after complaining of a foul smell and unkempt animals – including two horses, 16 dogs and one cat – that appeared emaciated and diseased.
When questioned about the care of the child, Larsen told police that ‘she puts the child in the cage sometimes so that she and the child can get some sleep.’
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