Two mothers face neglect charges

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Two mothers are facing several charges after a Metro Police officer found four children living in a home unfit for people.

Police say the two moms left their kids alone in a filthy house on the near west side. The children were removed and now the moms face serious charges.

Police got a call to check out a vacant house that had an extension cord connected to a neighbors house. When the officer unplugged the cord the lights went out and only children appeared at the front door.

Metro Police originally thought the house on the near west side was a vacant, run down house. But they found out four children were living inside.

Police described it as "deplorable."

"They stated that there was dog feces on the floor, that there was trash and insects everywhere. And there wasn't enough food to support these children," IMPD Sgt. Paul Thompson.

Police say a 14-year-old girl was left alone to take care of a seven-year-old, a five-year-old and a seven-month-old infant.

They said cockroaches and maggots were crawling on the living room and bedroom floor. Plus, the electricity had been turned off.

Click on the photo gallery to see pictures of the inside of the home.

As police investigated, Jamie Presley, the mother of the five and seven-year old and Tiffney Johnson, the mother of the infant, returned to home from a trip downtown. Police say they smelled alcohol the mothers' breaths.

Both mothers were arrested and charged with neglect of a dependent.

Neighbor Reanna Osborne says she knew the house was dirty but she didn't realize the extreme conditions, "Yesterday before anything happened. I saw a mouse or a rat crawl out of the side of the house. It's really gross."

Osborne said the kids were well-behaved and didn't deserve to be exposed to a filthy lifestyle, "They were cute, they were real sweet nice. Showed bugs that they caught and stuff like that."

Presley's friend Catherine Woodard says she is shocked her friend was arrested, "It's not really all that dirty. Just for the past couple days, it's been because she's been struggling and everything."

The children were taken into child protective services.

Neither of the women arrested were the mother of the 14-year-old. Police said she did not know how to contact her mother.