obese & neglected children removed from home

[Amby 490]

When police walked into the home, they found a 5-year-old girl weighing nearly 160 pounds, her teeth rotting, her skin covered in spider bites. Her 4-year-old sister was lying on a filthy mattress, wearing only a urine-soaked diaper.Police were responding to a domestic dispute call at the Marietta, Georgia, house Monday when they encountered the shocking scene. They called in child abuse investigators, and ultimately arrested the parents, James and Anne Cardona, charging both with second-degree child cruelty, Cobb County police spokesman Joe Hernandez said.

The children are now in the state custody. Their parents were released on bond, but Anne Cardona was arrested again late Thursday for giving "misleading information" to a magistrate judge at the couple's first court appearance Tuesday, said Col. Milton Beck of the Cobb County sheriff's department.

She remained in jail Friday without bond until further notice from court, he said. Attempts to reach her husband were unsuccessful Friday, and it wasn't immediately clear whether they had retained legal counsel.

Asked by CNN affiliate WSB-TV on Thursday whether the children were mistreated at the home, Anne Cardona said no.

Police had only stopped at the family's home in the Atlanta suburb one other time, more than a year ago, but hadn't observed anything like they saw Monday, Hernandez said.

The house "stunk of urine and mold," according to the arrest warrants for the Cardonas. It is "infested with roaches, [fleas], cobwebs and gigantic spiders," the documents said.

The bathroom and shower are covered in black mold and dirt, they said.

Neither girl is enrolled in school. Both are severely obese. The older daughter, who weighs 158 pounds, could not walk 10 feet without "becoming out of breath and wheezing," officers said. The younger child weighs 89 pounds and still drinks from a baby bottle. Her feet were blackened with dirt, her skin also covered in insect bites.

"A situation like this is tragic -- tragic for the family, but mostly for the kids," said Normer Adams, executive director of the Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children, a trade group representing a range of agencies, including foster homes and family support programs.

"This is an extreme case of neglect by the parents," he said. "These kids are hurting on many levels -- certainly educational development, and probably social development."

Adams said it's unlikely that the Cardonas would be able to regain custody of their children, saying it's "too late" for the family to avoid foster care.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/20/georgia.child.cruelty/index.html?hpt=Sbin

[Peikko 1,575]

Wow, that is absolutely horrible - and coming on the wake of something I saw on tv about a 90lb 2 year old, seemingly not an isolated incident. How very, very sad.

[evli1966 88]

I agree

Madame we may not agree fully on how to handle the issue but clearly this is a case of neglect and abuse.

You state a 90lb 2 year old!

also most likely the same.

[Fandango 1,439]

I am flabbergasted at a 160lb 5 year old. Sounds like removing them from the home was the best thing for the children.

[Peikko 1,575]

I agree

Madame we may not agree fully on how to handle the issue but clearly this is a case of neglect and abuse.

You state a 90lb 2 year old!

also most likely the same.

At the risk of being misunderstood, but from what I posted, how do you know at what level we would agree or not as regards 'handling' the issue? All I said was that this is really horrible and that I have heard about similar things before.

[evli1966 88]

At the risk of being misunderstood, but from what I posted, how do you know at what level we would agree or not as regards 'handling' the issue? All I said was that this is really horrible and that I have heard about similar things before.

Previous threads we talked about obesity etc. and we didn't necesarily agree on the topic about my right and my choice etc. as opposed to being forced fed supposed health foods.

the disagreement was more on leave my sugar and soda alone. ( I dont drink soda btw but I do love me the Monster drinks)

Here these children needed to be taken to safety and to be cared for.

Edited August 22, 2010 by evli1966

[Peikko 1,575]

Previous threads we talked about obesity etc. and we didn't necesarily agree on the topic about my right and my choice etc. as opposed to being forced fed supposed health foods.

the disagreement was more on leave my sugar and soda alone. ( I dont drink soda btw but I do love me the Monster drinks)

Here these children needed to be taken to safety and to be cared for.

Oh, ok, thanks for explaining - I'm still not sure how that gels with the story, in terms of how you think I would deal with the question of children who become obese due to poor/ignorant choices on nutrition by their parents - but I can at least take a guess at it now.

Btw, have you always gone by that handle? I don't remember exchanging views with you except recently hence the question.

[Amby 490]

this story actually made me a bit sad when I read it. I'm not usually bothered by things I read in the news but this one upset me. poor kids.

[Peikko 1,575]

this story actually made me a bit sad when I read it. I'm not usually bothered by things I read in the news but this one upset me. poor kids.

Absolutely, and because of the tv thing I saw about the 90lb 2 year old, I can picture it as well - it's very shocking and it does make you sad to think that however it happened these kids have suffered terribly and will continue to do so while their health issues are brought under control.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

The parents are sick and so is the welfare system.

[Dave and Helena 0]

Payback's a ######.....

LAKE MARY, Fla. -- Investigators in Seminole County say they've discovered a bizarre problem: adult children are dropping off their elderly parents at hotels and motels, and abandoning them."A lot of the local hotels seem to be getting seniors that are just dropped off by their kids," said Officer Zach Hudson of the Lake Mary Police Department.One man was left at the La Quinta Inn in Lake Mary for several weeks."Two different times he fell out of his bed during the midnight shift. We didn't know about it. We had people call up, saying there's a gentleman in this room, he's screaming for help," said Chris Loker of La Quinta Inn.The problem comes down to money."A lot of these nursing homes are too expensive for the kids, much less their elderly parents," Hudson said.Part of the problem is the hotels and motels are neither trained nor equipped to take on the elderly people, especially since some of the senior citizens have medical issues that require medical treatment.But, Officer Hudson told WFTV, when parents are left at the hotels to fend for themselves no crime has been committed."Fifty years ago you had four generations living under one roof. Now, now not," Loker said.Hotels said, many times, they have to call 911 to get immediate care for the senior citizens who are dropped off.

http://www.wftv.com/news/24694944/detail.html?cxntlid=cmg_cntnt_rss

Jokes aside. It is horrible.

[Amby 490]

^ wow!

[Nagishkaw 510]

Payback's a ######.....

LAKE MARY, Fla. -- Investigators in Seminole County say they've discovered a bizarre problem: adult children are dropping off their elderly parents at hotels and motels, and abandoning them."A lot of the local hotels seem to be getting seniors that are just dropped off by their kids," said Officer Zach Hudson of the Lake Mary Police Department.One man was left at the La Quinta Inn in Lake Mary for several weeks."Two different times he fell out of his bed during the midnight shift. We didn't know about it. We had people call up, saying there's a gentleman in this room, he's screaming for help," said Chris Loker of La Quinta Inn.The problem comes down to money."A lot of these nursing homes are too expensive for the kids, much less their elderly parents," Hudson said.Part of the problem is the hotels and motels are neither trained nor equipped to take on the elderly people, especially since some of the senior citizens have medical issues that require medical treatment.But, Officer Hudson told WFTV, when parents are left at the hotels to fend for themselves no crime has been committed."Fifty years ago you had four generations living under one roof. Now, now not," Loker said.Hotels said, many times, they have to call 911 to get immediate care for the senior citizens who are dropped off.

http://www.wftv.com/news/24694944/detail.html?cxntlid=cmg_cntnt_rss

Jokes aside. It is horrible.

And then some. :angry:

[evli1966 88]

Oh, ok, thanks for explaining - I'm still not sure how that gels with the story, in terms of how you think I would deal with the question of children who become obese due to poor/ignorant choices on nutrition by their parents - but I can at least take a guess at it now.

Btw, have you always gone by that handle? I don't remember exchanging views with you except recently hence the question.

Yes but the picture changed

And then some. :angry:

for the love of God

Who doesn't take care of their parents?

Josephine has never met my mother in person but she would kill me if I did something like that not that I would.

[evli1966 88]

At the risk of being misunderstood, but from what I posted, how do you know at what level we would agree or not as regards 'handling' the issue? All I said was that this is really horrible and that I have heard about similar things before.

I forgot to say do not feel bad if you forgot me ...My ex wife says I am easy to forget.