An elderly woman and nearly a dozen children were removed from a south suburban Dixmoor home after they were found living in squalor Monday.
Police entered the home about 3 p.m. in the 14200 block of Lincoln Avenue, according to Dixmoor Police Chief Ronald Burge Sr. He said police had received several complaints from neighbors about conditions in the house.
A resident of the home, 20-year-old Giovanna Davis, was arrested and charged with one misdemeanor count each of child neglect and child endangerment, he said, adding that Davis is the mother of at least some of the children.
A woman in her 70s, whom Burge described as a “neglected senior,” was found lying on a bare mattress covered in sores or bite marks. She was taken to MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island.
Burge said officers found “deplorable conditions” in the home, with holes in the walls and mold growing throughout the house, including in a nearly-empty refrigerator. Multiple children, none older than 12, were inside when police arrived, while others tried to enter the house while officers were investigating.
Eleven children were taken from the home to the police station while police investigated, Burge said. Some were placed in the custody of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, while the rest were released to their parents.
Seven children who lived in the house have been placed under a DCFS safety plan, department spokesman Jimmie Whitelow said in a statement Tuesday.
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He said “some members of the household” have had prior contact with DCFS, but did not provide further details.
Davis and her half-sister, who also lives in the house, were taken into custody, Burge said. Davis is expected to appear in court for a bail hearing on Wednesday.
Burge said the other woman in custody is the elderly woman’s daughter and that felony charges against her are pending.
The Illinois Department on Aging is also investigating, according to Burge. A representative for the department did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
