Child was found shaking from the cold rain, crying and scared, about 12 feet from the ground, while his mom and dad were sIeeping following a ‘night of pIaying consoIe and using marljuana’; charges

West Virginia – A West Virginia man and woman were taken into custody and charged with two counts of chiId negIect creating risk of serious injury or death and one count of conspiracy. These charges arose after police discovered their child on top of their home and their baby left unattended inside.​

The West Virginia mom and dad are now facing child neglect charges after authorities responded to calls of a child, 3, shivering on top of the family home during a rain storm where they came across two unsupervised children covered in f-ces. 

At approximately 11:45 a.m. on April 11, officers responded to a residence in West Virginia after a concerned neighbor reported seeing a child on the r00f. Upon arrival, police observed the child approximately 12 feet above ground, shivering from cold rain, crying, and appearing frightened. Officers had to unlock several doors and break a window to safely retrieve the child. Inside the home, they found the baby, 1, in a crib in a locked room, covered in f-ces and ur-ne. The room also contained f-ces on the walls, indicating poor living conditions.​

A man from inside the residence was completely unaware of the child being on the roof and did not answer when law enforcement asked how to get to the child, a criminal complaint stated according to WBOY. 

Officers went inside the home and had to unlock several doors to reach the child, including the child’s bedroom door which officers had to unlock from the outside. The window in the room was broken out, so the responding officers finished breaking the window to remove the child. Officers recorded in the complaint that at this point, no parents were found.

The child’s parents were reportedly asleep at the time of the officers’ arrival and had not checked on their children since 8 p.m. the previous evening. During questioning, the couple admitted to staying up all night playing video games. The children mom acknowledged smoking marljuana.​

Following their arrest, the parents were held in the regional jail on a $50,000 bond each. The children were placed in protective custody. The couple faces serious charges, and the case is under further investigation by West Virginia authorities.​

This incident highlights the importance of vigilant community awareness and prompt action to protect vulnerable children from neglectful situations.​