Children rescued from filthy conditions in Kelso home
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KELSO, Wash. – When police officer Sarah Hoffman arrived at a Kelso home, she had no idea what horrors she would find inside.
She was checking on a domestic dispute. When she entered the home, Hoffman said she saw a woman who was clearly drunk, and two children – ages two and seven – who were living in filth.
Those children are now in protective custody.
“I was sick to my stomach watching [the girl] walk from the bedroom through the feces and throughout the house in bare feet,” Hoffman wrote in her police report.
The children’s father, Danny Wannamaker, called police after getting in a fight with their mother, Nicole Jacobs, police said. Wannamaker was arrested and charged with assault.
Neither parent has been charged with additional crimes at this time, pending an investigation by Child Protective Services.
Hoffman said she was overwhelmed by the odor of human waste.
“I opened the bathroom door and was so sickened by what I saw,” she said. “There were days, perhaps weeks worth of feces in the bathtub. The toilet was clogged and filled with feces.”
- Photos of the bathroom (Warning: graphic content)
The rest of the house was littered with dirty clothes, toys dishes and silverware caked with food.
The 7-year-old boy was sleeping in a recliner. He had no bed.
“I’ve been to many filthy houses since becoming a police officer and this is one of the most disgusting residences I have ever been in,” Hoffman said.
When the children were taken by Child Protective Services, there weren’t any clean clothes in the house for them to wear.
Neighbors were shocked when they heard about the deplorable conditions. They said this house was on their radar, however, because there were a lot of visitors who stopped by during the nights.
“When you have feces running all over the house basically, and the kids running around in that, that’s pretty disgusting,” said neighbor Shawna Spear.
What's ironic to me is in the picture of the kitchen you can actually see cleaning supplies under the sink in the cabinet. So close yet so far....
That makes me sick... anyone who makes excuses for those parents should be ashamed! There is no excuse for a house to be in that condition where children are living. The parents have their tv right next to the bed so they can sit on their doped up asses and watch tv while their children live in that filth. A messy house is one thing, but that is way beyond. I hope those kids get a nice place to live with people who care about their well being.
Outside of the bathroom being a disaster with clogged plumbing and clutter, the rest of the house looks like most homes I have been in with children. I could clean something up like that in a matter of minutes, as much of the stuff on the floor is play-doh and toys. How old were the children? The parents were seemingly overwhelmed and where was the landlord to fix the clog? The capitalist system that doesn't provide living wage jobs, affordable daycare and housing is to blame. Where did all the money disappear to? In the hands of the 1%, mainly the fraction of the 1%.
 @apatheticfool Most homes you've been in with kids have poop on the floor? No clean clothes for them? No bed for the 7 year old? Dried and caked food on the dishes and silverware? And where does it say in the article it was a rental? I live in a rental and I have to unclog my own crapper. There's no one to call. And if it WAS a rental would you want the landlord to see that? Obviously they would report you. Perhaps the parents were overwhelmed so clearly drunken fighting was the answer. Stop making excuses for those child endangering pigs.
@apatheticfool The "parents" seemed to have money for drugs and alcohol. Guess that is the fault of everyone else huh?
 @apatheticfool Are you kidding me?  Did you even read the article?  The children were 2 & 7 and the parents were there.  Mom was drunk.  How do you get unaffordable day care and no living wage out of this story? And if they don't have a living wage, they sure as hell shouldn't be buying beer!  Bending over and picking up after yourself is free.  Making sure your kids get dressed in the morning is also free. It's called parenting.  There is NO excuse for living like animals.Â
 @Maggie1 Yes, and the "filthy" rich don't clean their homes, they have other people do it for them. This is a societal problem... economic and social. This isn't just a problem with people on drugs. I have seen people living like this who are NOT on drugs. The rich, by the way, can do drugs and have someone else take care of their children, also. There is a double standard. Society is organized for profit, in the interests of big business, who do not care about our standard of living or anything else, as long as we show up for work. If we had a more adequate social network, less people would be on drugs and a neighbor may have even fixed the plumbing. Think outside the box because it doesn't have to be this way.
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 @apatheticfool Not every problem in society is linked to the economy.  Yes the rich do drugs as well.  Loser parents come from all walks of life and economic levels.  You made my point very well.Â
 methamphetamine kills.
 @Luke0walton Yes but it is profitable to someone. We need to get rid of the "for profit" system and start organizing in the interests of the 99%... meeting our needs in regard to healthcare, education, daycare, and an environmentally sustainable mass transit system that is free and runs 24/7. Meeting the needs of the working class and poor, alone, would create tens of millions of jobs, at least! That is how you get the economy moving, not depending on big corporations that hoard their profits (which we create) when there is an economic downturn, and there always is under capitalism.
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This just makes me sad. I actually know Danny, we grew up together. A lot of the comments on here are dead on... yes, this is a druggie house. Both parents are addicted to meth and heroin, along with alcohol. It's my hope that neither of them get these kids back... they're better off without their parents.
Is the toilet ,plumbing down ? I'd like to hear both sides of this story.
 @joefuss Both sides? So there is supposed to be some "excuse" for that mess?
I called CPS on a nearly identical situation and was told "filth is not abuse"
Neighbors "said this house was on their radar, however, because there were a lot of visitors who stopped by during the nights." Apparently all these late-night visitors don't mind the smell...
@Willow Apparently Meth and heroin ruins your sense of smell???
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 @deadcandance That's true, but no child should have to live in these condition's. It look's like they have diarrhea, I'm sure living like this contributes to that.
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 @naomi.evensen  @deadcandance If no child should ever have to live like this then you must, like me, be opposed to capitalism. It is destructive and causes crime and poverty while enriching the 1%.
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"It does not take long with children around and no one following up with cleaning for things to fall into the mess that is shown". Hmmm really? Because one of my closest friends is a single hard working mom of 5 kids and she manages to keep her home fairly clean. I'm a single hard working parent who keeps her house clean. If no one follows up on cleaning that means they are LAZY!!!
 @tkyed they not only lazy that is mental problem living with that smell disgusting... What kind of mom is she??? that iswhy ppl need to stop drinking alcohol and drugs.Thanks to God these kids are safe.. that phone call safe them...I hope they find good parent to take care of them.
 @idil hacadeey25ssan  @tkyed I'd like to see what your place looks like on a random day. I bet you are perfect.
 @tkyed  @apatheticfool  @idil Like I said earlier, the "filthy" rich don't clean up after themselves, they have other people do it. Society is broken. Without a vision for something better, people dig themselves into a rut. I have had my share of slumlords and when I was a child, loved to sleep in the recliner more than my bed. My parents weren't bad people but I think you are quite judgmental of people you know nothing about. Maybe you might study addiction, a product of capitalism. You might start with Dr. Gabor Mate from Youtube. He also covers ADHD and loss but his talks on addiction and capitalism are quite meaningful. Then that poses a vision for an alternative. How can we organize society in the interests of improving living standards for the 99%. The homes in my community are breaking down, both inside and out and the banks are short selling them when they can. They got bailed out and we got nothing... they got bailed out so they could kick us out of our homes. A home like this is a symptom of something much bigger and rather than blaming the victim, you might looks at the grander scheme of things.
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@apatheticfool @idil hacadeey25ssan #1 you will never find feces anywhere in my house like in this article states it's not only in the toilet it is in the bathtub and on the floor where the kids walk barefoot #2 you will never find dirty dishes on my floor #3 My home would never smell like human waste #4 my 8 year old has a bed even if he didn't I would have gave him mine and I would have slept in the recliner #6 my son will always have clean clothes #7 I will never have people coming in and out of me and my sons home all hours of the night. There is a difference between messy and maybe a little dirty but when there is literally shit on the floor and even the cop and several other people stated that this is the most disgusting home they have ever sen there is simply no excuse.
They left out the best part of course, how welfare is supporting these people. The "parents" I use that term loosely, will fight for the kids back only because they are what they use to get those checks. Wonder when our President will go on TV talking about how we need to fix problems like this, "for the children"?
 @Alex Clayton Let's see your tax returns, tough guy. What government subsidies are you receiving?
 @KOMO_Sapiens  @Alex Clayton What subsidies are the rich receiving that causes such poverty for children? Get your story right.
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 @apatheticfool  @KOMO_SapiensÂ
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Another "useful idiot".
By all means run off all the "rich". I know I have always found lots of great jobs working for the "poor".
@apatheticfool @KOMO_Sapiens @Alex Clayton Just because you are considered low income does not mean that you can't keep your home clean and safe for your children!!
 @KOMO_SapiensÂ
LOL, work too many hours for that. You should try it some time. Of course you don't want to have to spend hours asking "would you like fry's with that", so you sit home and wait for the mail man instead.
I hope the kiddos will be OK and the parents get the help they need. This is horrible for anyone to live in.
I'm glad to see that at least some people on here have a heart. It is very sad that others are so judgemental. While it certainly sounds from the article like the children do need to be in a different environment at the moment (I did not look at the bathroom pictures but the description of what that looked like certainly doesn't sound healthy or like the mom is currently able to care for her children) it is clear to me from the other pictures that something happened in this family to bring things to the state they are in now. I believe from looking at the pictures that this mother loves her children and was taking care of them until recently. It does not take long with children around and no one following up with cleaning for things to fall into the mess that is shown in the non-bathroom pictures. And if you look at those pictures, what do you see? A little girl's princess bed, lots of toys, lots of clothes (dirty at the moment, yes...but they do have clothes), a few things that look like play/dress up clothes, a pink and a blue Halloween jack-o-lantern for collecting candy, a little fake Christmas tree. They mention that the boy was sleeping on a recliner because he had no bed... is that really such a tragedy? Maybe he had his own little bed like the girl has now but he grew out of it. The recliner certainly looks nice and comfy. I just wanted to cry when I looked at these pictures. Not because I think the kids have had a terrible life but because I think they haven't. I think their mom loves them and was taking care of them but something has recently gone wrong. I am praying for this family and for these children who I think are probably confused about why Mommy stopped helping them and why they have to live somewhere else now. I am praying for this family. I pray that the mom gets the help she needs to be reunited with her children and that the kids have a kind, loving foster parent or relative that will help them understand that Mommy still loves them but just needs a little help to get better before she can take care of them again.
 @justathought You haven't mentioned the smell that the officer could barely stand and the feces all over the house and filling the bathtub.
 @justathought I see what your saying & the point your trying to make. My son had a friend who's house was a "hoarder" house. But the mom was loving, not an addict and he was happy and all was good (other than the fact that he lived in a pit).
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THIS on the other hand involves an alcoholic (at the least, and probably drugs too), and the bathroom pictures prove that it is beyond the level of "she-just-doesn't-DO-house-work". Sorry. These kids have been subjected to at least one alcoholic parent and put at severe health risk with the INFECTION CONTROL abomination that the bathroom was. I would immediately test them for communicable diseases.If you have not looked at the photos, you should before you decide.
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I'm sure that kids who grew up in these types of homes can tell you the horrors they lived through and how it damaged them. These parents should get help, yes. But the kids should not have to go through this. Would you send your kids/grand kids to live here? These little ones have no choice.
@Thunder @justathought Do you really believe that people who love their children are impervious to addiction or alcoholism? It is possible to love one's children but lose your head over addiction. This might be hard to reconcile, but it happens. These people need help, not judgment and criticism from people they don't know.
Komo you should be ashamed posting pictures of peoples personal stuff. This person clearly is depressed or has some other issues so before you demonize her as a bad person you should look into getting some help for her. Shame on you Komo
@ John Rausch - seriously? KOMO getting help for someone? News first, then maybe help if they ask Jesse? C'mon you are kidding, right?
@John Rausch BS!! I have a friend who's home isn't much better than this. She claims depression and I call it pure laziness. I don't care how depressed you are when you have kids you make sure they live in a safe and sanitary environment. THAT'S CALLED COMMON SENSE
 @tkyed @John Rausch I'd say it's called RESPONSIBILITY. And there are just NOT enough people today that take that seriously. Everything is someone else's fault.
It's good that KOMO put these people's personal stuff on the news, keeps DSHS from making it easy to get these poor kids back! Post the dirt bag's faces on the news too!
 @John Rausch No, I would guess they are addicts and that this is a drug house.
"Depression". This is now the 21st century excuse for everything! People are just plain idiots!
There is no excuse for this especially when you have kids. This is pure laziness and horrible parenting.
Looks like the mom fell into a really bad a depression. I have seen homes like this before and it always seems that parent is in a bad depression.Â
 @Just my say Druggies.
@domino @Just my say Does being so judgmental and name-calling make you feel better over your own short comings?
The thought that comes to mind is Hepatitis. Deplorable. The 7 year old will remember these years too. So very sad. The kids sure got shafted and stuck with hideous parents by no choice of their own.
That photo reminds me of a story my husband tells about a toddler patient he saw during his residency. Â The mother was a crack addict who lived in a house with other addicts and all their various babies and children. Â The baby in question was ill, and my husband asked the mother how much he was eating. Â She said she had no idea, because they always just put the food in a big bowl on the floor and the kids ate it as they crawled around.
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I think I'll pass on the photos of the bathroom and just to say this: Â Take the kids away from the parents. Â Permanently. Â Tie the "mother"'s tubes and snip the "father"'s vas def, then throw both of their sorry as*&es in prison. Â
Well I'm glad the children are safe. I hope dshs doesn't return them to the parents. But they will. They will need to take parenting class. Then they will be back in the same situation. Some people should NEVER have kids.
 @DeeDee its true..... they will! and then there are lots of innocent families out there who have to fight the system to clear their name based on false claims but trash like that get to have their kids back after they take a few weeks of parenting and drug/alcohol classes. its a JOKE
 @DeeDee Sounds like they need to take plumbing classes too.