Couple charged with child neglect after Manatee deputies discover home in 'deplorable conditions'

MANATEE -- A couple was charged with child neglect Saturday after deputies discovered their three children were living in a home with trash piles everywhere, moldy food in reach of the children and no edible food, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

A deputy responded to a child abuse hotline call about the home late Friday with a child protective services caseworker, according to an arrest report.

The deputy said he found "deplorable conditions" inside the home, with clothes and trash piled up everywhere that made it difficult to navigate the residence. The room where the children were sleeping had moldy food on several surfaces and small flies throughout the room.

There was more mold in the refrigerator and no edible food, according to the report. The kitchen and living room also had an "overpowering smell of garbage."

The deputy said the home was "clearly unsafe, unsanitary and unhealthy for children to reside."

Both parents lived at the home with their three children. Child protective services removed the children and they are now staying with relatives, according to the Department of Children and Families.

The father, Todd Litwin, 46, and the mother, Claudine Litwin, 39, were questioned by investigators Saturday and said they knew the conditions in their home were unsafe for the children.

Both parents were arrested and charged with child neglect without great bodily harm. They were released from the Manatee County jail on Sunday.

Officials with the Department of Children and Families said they had no involvement with the family prior to this incident.

This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Couple charged with child neglect after Manatee deputies discover home in 'deplorable conditions' ."