A disturbing scene unfolded in Miami, where a mother was taken into custody after police discovered her apartment in a state of extreme neglect, with five young children living amid garbage and roaches. CBS News Miami reports that 33-year-old Dishon Michell Lopez has been charged with five counts of child neglect following a welfare check by the Miami Police that led to the nightmare discovery.
The investigation into the living conditions at Lopez's residence in Overtown began after a tip-off to the Department of Children and Families. An earlier report obtained by NBC Miami noted that a Public Housing Community Development witness first reported the alarming situation in December. Police returned for a follow-up visit and found that the apartment's floors were, "barely visible" beneath the filth. The children, who range in age from 3 to 16, had been living in these conditions for an undetermined amount of time.
Lopez was arrested after turning herself in on Thursday and is currently being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. During her bond hearing, the judge set limitations on her contact with her children, currently placed in the care of other family members. "Any and all orders entered in dependency court regarding your contact, visitation and custody shall supersede and replace this court's order," the judge told Lopez, who acknowledged her understanding with a simple, "Yes," according to CBS News Miami.
In their response to the deplorable living conditions, neighbors expressed shock and sympathy for Lopez and her children. "I don't know what her mental state was," one neighbor told CBS News Miami. She continued, expressing a willingness to help, "I feel bad. No mother should have to go through something like this alone." The neighbor added, "I don't judge. I have plenty of friends I've helped and they've helped me. We do it because we're single moms and sometimes we need extra help." Lopez's next steps in the legal system remain to be seen, as her case continues to develop.
As the story unfolds, the focus remains on the welfare of the five children who are now under the care of other family members. Miami Police spokesman Mike Vega described the scene as distressing: "These conditions are so disgusting, to see all these cockroaches, all this trash that you can't even walk on the floor because of all this trash, and that these kids had to live in there," Vega said to NBC Miami.
