An Aiken woman turned herself in and was charged with four counts of unlawful neglect after Aiken Department of Public Safety officers found her home "in an unsatisfactory condition," according to Lt. Karl Odenthal.
The incident began when officers responded to a call on Dexter Street at 7:53 p.m. May 10.
According to Odenthal, officers found a two-year-old child walking through the neighborhood unsupervised. Officers took the child home, where they made contact with Rebecca Sanders, 27, the child's parent, according to reports.
Sanders told officers the child "must have gotten out while she was not paying attention," police said.
Officers saw "trash throughout the house, rotten food and dog food all over the floors, and the residence appeared to be in an unsuitable condition," according to reports. "The floors were rotted and badly damaged, and the house had a very strong odor."
On May 13, officers returned to assist with a juvenile division's investigation.
"Juvenile services did an investigation follow up, and the house was deemed uninhabitable," Odenthal said. "Warrants were issued because of the living condition."
Upon the second visit, officers noticed all the trash, old food and dog food had been removed from the floor, but the "bad smell was still present," police said.
Officers began searching through the house and found "in one of the bedrooms, it appeared that all the trash had been swept to the center of the room and was in a large pile on the floor," according to reports.
On May 16, Sanders turned herself in and was taken to the Aiken County detention center. She was released the same day.
According to Odenthal, the children were released into temporary custody of a family member.
Will Whaley is the crime and courts reporter for the Aiken Standard. He is a native of Fayette, Alabama and graduated from the University of North Alabama with a degree in journalism.