Parents charged with neglect after twins weighed 16 and 17 pounds
ANDERSON (WISH) — Four children, including a set of twins are in protective custody after police said the two youngest children were found only weighing 16 and 17 pounds.
Investigators said a relative notified the Anderson Police Department and the state’s Department of Child Services after learning about what happened.
Police arrested Stephen Auker, 38, and the mother of the children, Kimberly Robinson, 32. Both from Anderson are now charged with several felony counts related to child neglect.
The children’s dad told investigators that his girlfriend had left him with the kids and never came back. He told police he felt as though he could not care for the children anymore.
Investigators discovered the children had been living in deplorable conditions in an apartment near 13th Street and Brown Street.
“I hope the parents own up to their responsibilities and the consequences that they deserve,” said neighbor Morgan Blair.
Investigators said the children, including the two-year-old boy and girl twins had been living in a 4×4 space filled with debris, a couch, and a television. Investigators said they had no bed.
According to court documents, the home was covered with “dog, cat feces, dirty diapers, trash, dirty clothing and dishes and an atrocious smell.”
“I’ve seen the kids in the upper right hand window upstairs peeking out,” said Blair. “Sometimes they leave the windows cracked to let the cats jump in and out.”
Morgan Blair lives right across the street from the family. He said he saw police stopping by the apartment not too long ago, but really didn’t know what was going on until now.
“It’s definitely a tragedy to know that there were two kids living inside of there,” said Blair. “If it wasn’t for me seeing them peek out of those windows every now and then I would have never known.”
Doctors told investigators that the twins were in bad shape, only weighing 16 and 17 pounds when they were taken to the hospital. They were dirty and also had lice.
Court documents also revealed, “Both children show severe signs of neglect in a sense that it appears that they were not being fed. Both of the children are about the size of what would be a 7 month old yet they are both 2 years and 5 months of age.”
Documents also revealed that the two children could not walk, crawl, or stand given their poor health condition.
“I’m thankful that somebody reached out and there was help provided and to let people know what was going on inside of those rooms because outside nobody else had any idea,” said Blair.
Investigators say the twins have been showing signs of improvements at the hospital and have been gaining weight from eating.
Doctors believe had they continued down the path they were on, they would have only lived for months and would have likely died from malnutrition.
Auker and Robinson are still in jail as of Monday night waiting to go to trial in a couple of months, according to court records.