Two people arrested after children found living in unsafe conditions in Florida

FLORIDA — A Sarasota couple is facing child neglect charges after police found their 5-year-old child living in unsafe conditions, authorities said.

Officers from the Sarasota Police Department and investigators from the Florida Department of Children and Families responded to a home on 24th Street on Sept. 5 around 1:30 p.m. for a welfare check following an anonymous tip. When they arrived, Crystal Kates, 37, and Torrance Boles, 50, were found under a tent drinking beer, while the child was alone inside the home.

Inside the home, investigators found the child in a room blocked by a baby gate. Her hair was matted with debris and food, she wore a soiled pull-up diaper that was close to tearing, and she was unable to speak. The home was reported in severe disarray, with a dirty mattress on the floor, no blankets or pillows, empty closets, and scattered furniture.

Kates initially claimed they had just moved in but later admitted she had lived in the home for 10 years. Both adults tested positive for THC, cocaine, and alcohol.

DCF determined that the home and child’s conditions were severe, and the child was removed and placed with a family member. Kates and Boles remain in custody at the Sarasota County Jail.