ELYRIA — A Lorain County Children’s Services caseworker visited the apartment of Melody Reed just a week before police charged her with endangering her four children after finding them alone in squalor.

“The caseworker out there felt at the time that the environment was typical of folks living in that situation,” said Gary Crow, executive Director for LCCS. “The conditions the police described didn’t exist when (the caseworker) was there. If you leave children unsupervised for an amount of time, conditions can deteriorate rapidly.”

Reed, 23, told police she was “around the corner” from her children — who are ages 7, 6 and 2 years and 7 months — when a neighbor alerted police Tuesday to the screaming of a child at her White Court apartment.

Officers said they could hear the child screaming when they were 75 feet away.

When they got to the house, police said, they found the front door of the apartment open and spoke with the 6-year-old, who told them that she and her siblings had been alone since their mother had gone to the store.

Police entered the bug-infested, garbage-filled apartment and found dirty dishes in the sink, several large kitchen knives on the table, and other hygiene and safety hazards, the report said.

Crow said the children were taken from the apartment because they were left alone,  not because the place was a mess.

“I don’t think they were living in squalor either — poor people have difficulties keeping their apartments clean.”

LCCS caseworkers are required to see each of their families at least twice a month. State law only requires a single visit each month, Crow said.

LCCS spokeswoman Patti-Jo Burtnett said the agency worked with Reed from June 2007 to February 2008. During that time, Reed’s children were not removed, but the agency became involved with her again in May, she said.

Burtnett wouldn’t speculate on what a caseworker would have done if they found the apartment as police described it, but said caseworkers generally work with families and help set up a cleaning regimen to address a situation.

“We check on our children and work with their caregivers to make sure they take care of their needs,” Burtnett said.

The Elyria police had been to the complex on another matter the day before.

That day, police also found the children alone, but Reed’s 19-year-old sister, Meinyoun Reed, popped out of her apartment and said she was watching the children.

Elyria police Lt. Andy Eichenlaub said officers observed the living conditions of the children, but didn’t feel they were in danger.

“The officers wouldn’t have left them there the first day if there had been a safety issue,” he said.

Crow wouldn’t comment on who currently has custody of the four children.

Contact Stephen Szucs at 329-7129 or sszucs@chroniclet.com.

 

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