A mother in Indiana faces 18 years behind bars after allegedly leaving her three children and dogs home alone to fester in deplorable conditions.
Ashley Rogers, 42, was arrested on three counts of neglect of a dependent after officers searched her home and found her three children and dogs had been living in squalor.
Fort Wayne Police officers arrived to Rogers home at around 12.20pm on April 30 following reports of a minor threatening to harm themselves and discovered the property covered in black mold, animal feces and filled with piles of trash.
Rogers's boyfriend, Antione Burnett, was at the home when officers arrived and confirmed that Rogers's 17-year-old daughter was inside with her 18-year-old boyfriend, Gentry Shelton.
Burnett tried to call Rogers on the phone to bring her home from work, but was unable to do so, and instead pointed deputies toward the back door of the home, warned them of aggressive dogs inside and proceeded to leave the property, according to an affidavit obtained by the Daily Mail.
Shelton appeared at the rear of the property just as Rogers's 13-year-old son returned home.
'[Officers] observed pieces of animal feces fall from the rear doorway. There was a quantity of trash surrounding the home, including a refrigerator on its side just outside of the rear door,' the affidavit, written by Officer T Brown, said.
The unplugged fridge had broken doors but was still full of food, police reported.
Shelton initially told officers that Rogers's daughter, 17, was not inside the home before conceding that she was.
Ashley Rogers, 42, was arrested for neglect of a dependent after officers arrived to her home and found her three children and dogs living among dog waste, black mold and piles of trash
Shelton told police that his girlfriend had threatened to cut herself.
Police eventually got hold of Rogers by phone but she was 'unconcerned about her daughter's statements about harming herself,' according to the affidavit.
The mother-of-three finally returned home and said that the teenager was '17 years old and was not her responsibility.'
'She advised that [the teen] had not been at her home for several months and that she did not know where she was or what she was doing,' Officer Brown wrote in the affidavit.
'[Rogers] repeatedly advised [that] she wanted to leave the home and was going to leave her children in the care of [Shelton],' documents stated.
'The officers advised the home was in very poor condition with dog feces, trash, mold, urine and general filth throughout the home,' the affidavit said.
Police reported a 'large amount' of dog waste and said the home had no running water, no refrigerator, very minimal food and a toilet with dried feces and no water in it, the affidavit added.
Both the rear and front doors of the home were also broken and unable to lock, as were most of the windows which were covered loosely with boards. Multiple sections of the walls and ceiling were broken or had fallen, and several rooms were covered in peeling paint.
A file photo of Fort Wayne in Indiana. Police were called to a home there following reports of a minor threatening to harm themselves
'The kitchen and bathroom counters were covered with dirty clothing, trash, dirty dishes and items with mold on them,' documents stated.
The floor of the home was also covered in garbage bags filled with trash, and the laundry area in the basement, which was covered in black mold, 'had nearly 2ft of dirty clothing covering the floor.'
One of Rogers's children said that he and his 11-year-old sister lived at the home with Rogers, and claimed his mother came home daily when she was not at work.
But police arrested Rogers and determined she had not been to the home in 'several months.'
Rogers's 17-year-old daughter was also found to have an active juvenile warrant for her arrest for violation of conditional release, which Rogers said she had knowledge of.
The teen had reportedly removed her ankle monitor and not complied with juvenile probation.
'Officers checked the home and located [the 17-year-old] hiding under the kitchen sink in a small cabinet area where [Rogers] had been standing while officers were inside the home,' documents stated, adding that the teen was found with 'superficial' cuts on her arms and legs.
All three dogs were removed from the home by animal control due to the conditions 'not being suitable for animals.' It remains unclear what alternative care the children have been placed in.
Rogers was taken into custody and booked into Allen County Jail and made her first court appearance on Monday on three counts of neglect of a dependent. She is set to return to court in June.