MEMPHIS, Tenn.– A couple is facing child abuse and neglect charges after Tipton County investigators say they discovered four children subjected to horrific living conditions.
Tipton County Sheriff Shannon Beasley gave a stark description of what he said his investigators found inside the home off Old Memphis Road near Covington.
“When you allow kids to live in filth, with the animals inside, feces, urine, cockroaches, all the things that these detectives found are sickening,” Beasley said. “To subject children to such conditions is inexcusable.”
Detectives found the children’s beds covered in dog feces, their bathroom didn’t work and cockroaches in the refrigerator.
They initially showed up at the home earlier this month when executing a narcotics search warrant. They found more than two pounds of marijuana and pills and seized more than $30,000.
Sheriff Beasley said the possession of drugs became secondary to the way 36-year-old Jamie May and 37-year-old Adam Stark subjected the children to live.
“When you see the living conditions that these kids were in and if you were a friend of Ms. May or Mr. Stark and you’ve been in that home and you’ve seen those conditions and didn’t report them, you’re just as guilty. You have an obligation if you’re a true friend to tell the mother to get the home cleaned up for the kid’s sake anyway,” Beasley said.
Beasley told WREG that those four children found in deplorable conditions are now somewhere safe and getting the care they deserve. He said it’s crucial to notify law enforcement or the Department of Children’s Services if you believe a child is living in unsafe conditions.
“You can contact either one of us. You can be anonymous to law enforcement, DCS has a hotline that you can contact and stay anonymous there,” he said.
If you think you have more information on the case, you can contact the Tipton County Criminal Investigations Division at 901-4755-3300