Florida mom charged with neglect over filthy kids, house

FLORIDA -- A Florida mother has been charged with child neglect after her 10-year-old boy came to school in foul-smelling clothes and told a teacher he could not remember when he last took a bath, court documents showed.

Betsy Velasquez, 34, of Kissimmee, was charged on Tuesday and was released from the Osceola County jail on Wednesday on a $1,000 bond.

A deputy who entered the house where the boy lived wore a face mask and found five children ages 8 to 14 and seven dogs, including a puppy near death in a cardboard box, the affidavit said.

The deputy reported dog feces and urine covering the floors, walls, part of the ceiling, furniture and piles of laundry.

Velasquez told the officer that she had not cleaned the house in six months, the affidavit said. Her five children were sent to live with relatives, and an animal-control officer removed the dogs.

(Columbus Dispatch - Aug 30, 2014)