Wilmington Police find kids living in filth, without water, heat

WILMINGTON, Ohio (WKRC) - It's a place police say was not even fit for dogs. The home on West Sugartree Street in Wilmington didn't have heat or water -- and was filled with human and dog waste, rotting food and trash. But a community came together to help the four children rescued from the squalor.

When police arrived at the home near downtown Wilmington, they were responding to an anonymous caller who said children were living in the home without heat or water. But police never expected to find the amount of filth inside. One officer said the smell was overwhelming. Human waste and dog feces all over. But the rotting food and dirty laundry also emitted an unbearable odor. And living amidst it all, an 18-month-old, and a three-year-old, both wearing only diapers. The thermometer on the wall showed 45 degrees Police say the children were shivering. None of this surprising to one of the neighbors.

"There was a hole where the windows broke, and you would see the little kids playing there,” said Kelli Garrison. “They'd throw toys out. One came through the window one time. Out through the broken window. And they were always in diapers. You never seem dressed. Always in diapers." Living with the toddlers, their parents -- 21-year-old Kyle Siau and 20-year-old Lisa Greene; Lisa's two younger sisters, 13 and 17 years old; and their mom, Marsha Greene, 40 years old. A supervisor with the Clinton County Sheriff's Office overheard the communications on the radio and called to ask if he could go over to Clinton Memorial Hospital to get some supplies for the children.

“The most important thing is to keep the kids warm or get them warm,” said Matt Gunderman with Clinton Memorial Hospital. “So, we actually have blanket warmers in the ER. We got stacks of warm blankets for them, which was probably the best thing those kids felt in a long time.” Gunderman says nurses like Stacey Kotera sprang into action, finding diapers and wipes, anything they could.

“We didn’t have any hats or gloves here,” said Kotera. “So we offered to go down to Wal-Mart and get them if they needed any clothes, hats, gloves, anything we thought they might need.” All offered out of their own pockets. Stacey says some nurses also offered to foster the children.

The parents were arrested for child endangering, a misdemeanor, then released from jail. They did not want to talk, and had some choice words for us today when we contacted them. Child protective services placed the teens with their grandmother, who lives nearby, the dogs at the SPCA, and the toddlers, police say, with a good family that is already planning a nice Christmas for them. Police also spoke with the owner of the home -- he denies the tenants' claims he refused to fix the heat. A zoning inspector will now decide whether the place should be condemned.

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