A North Carolina couple has been charged with felony child abuse after authorities found seven malnourished and unclean children living in their home, including one 18-month-old baby with maggots in his diaper.
Following a welfare check at their home on Friday night, Jamie Leigh Hiatt, 25, and Michael Patrick McKnight,
26, of Lexington, North Carolina, were arrested and charged with six counts of misdemeanor child abuse and one count of felony child abuse, according to local police.
Of the seven children found in the home, McKnight is said to be the father of three of the children, while Hiatt is the mother of the other four children, the MailOnline reported.
During the welfare check, Lexington police officers said that they found seven children under the age of six that were malnourished and living in "very filthy and unhealthy living conditions," according to a report obtained by THV11.
Lexington Police Department Cpt. Michael Hunt told The Dispatch that upon walking inside the house, the officers "reported an overwhelming smell of feces and urine." Hunt added that the "overall condition of the home was nasty" and that it was clear that the malnutrition was an ongoing issue.
