Four young children were found unclothed and covered in dirt inside a Pittsburgh home littered with trash, food scraps, and walls smeared with feces, according to police. Koreya Washington was detained and later taken into custody after the children were removed from the house on Tuesday afternoon.
Officials were called to the area of Shanley Manor Drive around 3 p.m. Tuesday after a report of an active assault in the area, according to WTAE. Authorities said they found nothing in the area connected to the reported assault, but the response led them to the home where the four children were discovered living in what police described as horrible conditions. Two of the children told police they were hungry, and the station reports that the home's walls were covered in feces and other unknown dried liquids, with dirt, trash, and food scraps found on both the first and second floors. The children were taken to a hospital following their removal from the house.
Mother Blames Boyfriend, Alleges Domestic Violence
Washington told investigators she was a victim of domestic violence and alleged that her boyfriend did not allow her to leave the home or clean it, per the same report. She reportedly said her boyfriend was never home, and she claimed her children cry when she tries to clean. A social worker had attempted to provide Washington with resources, but police allege she declined them.
According to the criminal complaint cited by the outlet, Washington blamed everyone except herself for her situation. She reportedly stated that mothers who do not care for their children should face no consequences if they are victims of domestic violence. Witnesses at the scene refused to speak to authorities, the station notes. It remains unresolved whether the boyfriend Washington described faces any separate domestic violence or unlawful restraint charges, and the specific medical status of the children following their hospital evaluation has not been detailed.
Endangerment Charges and What Comes Next
Washington now faces four counts of endangering the welfare of children, one for each child found in the home. Under Pennsylvania law, child endangerment is generally graded as a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to five years in prison, but prosecutors can elevate the charge to a third-degree felony carrying up to seven years if they establish a course of conduct, according to Justia Law. A 2017 amendment to the statute allows the offense to reach a second-degree felony if the conduct is found to have created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury over time, per the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing.
The long-term placement of the four children will fall to the Allegheny County Department of Human Services Office of Children, Youth and Families, which is legally mandated to assess child safety, conduct home evaluations, and coordinate foster or kinship placements when children are removed from unsafe environments, according to the Allegheny County Department of Human Services. County data from 2024 shows children exiting to kinship care had a 10.81 percent three-year re-entry rate into the system, compared with 17.5 percent for those exiting traditional foster care. Whether CYF will pursue a relative placement or foster care for Washington's children remains an open question.
Part of a Wider Pattern in the Region
Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services investigated 41,070 reports of suspected child abuse and severe neglect statewide in 2024, and the state has faced staffing strain in this area — a 2023 progress report found 17 percent of responding county child welfare agencies had caseworker vacancy rates exceeding 50 percent. Suspected neglect can be reported through ChildLine, the state's 24/7 toll-free hotline at 1-800-932-0313.
The Shanley Manor Drive case follows a string of similar local incidents this year. In July, Hoodline reported that a Pittsburgh mother was charged with aggravated assault and child endangerment after two injured children fled a cluttered apartment strewn with empty alcohol cans and exposed mattress springs. In February, a similar case on Mayville Avenue in Brookline led to child endangerment charges against a father after a DHS caseworker found two young children home alone. That same month, a Charleroi case saw both parents charged with felony child endangerment after a 5-year-old's 911 call led police to an apartment without running water or a working toilet.
