The parents of four children who were left alone in a North Augusta home with garbage and food on the floor have regained custody of their children, but are being monitored by the Department of Social Services, according to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.
The children - ages 2, 4, 6 and 8 - were taken to the home of an aunt Monday after a school official investigating truancy by the victims went to their home on Tulip Drive about 3:30 p.m.
Deputies saw "unsanitary conditions" in the home, including trash and food all over the floor and several half-filled bags of garbage sitting on the floor, according to a sheriff's report. The official told officers he saw the home unsupervised for nearly an hour.
Officers made contact with the parents, who said they left the children while they went to run errands and that they didn't realize "they had been gone that long," police said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were no charges pending against the parents, and the children have been returned to their custody, according to Capt. Eric Abdullah, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. The parents are also being "monitored" by DSS.
"We gave it over to DSS, and we'll be assisting in a follow-up investigation," Abdullah said. He added that any possible truancy charges will be determined by the school or DSS.
Teddy Kulmala covers the crime and courts beat for the Aiken Standard.
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