BOISE -- Rotting food, animal feces and a dead pet iguana. These are the conditions Boise Police described when they entered a home for a welfare check near Fairview and Maple Grove Wednesday.
Police call it the worst case of this type they've come across in almost 10 years. Living in those conditions, prosecutors say, were two young children and their parents.
The children's parents, Deborah O'Brien and Jeremy Cole, are now behind bars, charged with felony injury to a child. As the couple made their first court appearance Thursday, Ada County Prosecutors described the conditions inside their house.
"When law enforcement arrived, they could see five to 10 cats inside the home, and see feces just inside the doorway. Ms. O'Brien was walking around barefoot, and one of the law enforcement officers observed cat feces on her feet," said Deputy Prosecutor, Ana Mamani.
Both children, aged 4 and 9, are now in custody of the state.
Emily Porter is a counselor at the Warm Springs Counseling Center. Over the years Porter has helped children who have come out of these very situations.
“All of that has an effect on kids in their future,” said Porter.
Porter is not treating the children in this particular case, but says this type of neglect could have long-lasting effects.
“It affects their emotional future, their psychological future, it affects their physical future, it effects pretty much everything about them,” said Porter.
That's why Porter says counseling is an important aspect of the healing process.
“The good thing about it is that kids are very resilient,” said Porter. “If they get a good team behind them to help them overcome some of this -- they can pull out of some of these issues that have happened in their past and be able to move on and have a good future ahead of them.”
Porter says part of the counseling process is teaching the children how to cope with their emotions after a traumatic situation.
As for the parents, O’Brien and Cole, they are being held on $25,000 dollar bond.
They are scheduled to be back in court on October 20th.
