Warning: The below footage includes footage of the extreme filth, which some viewers may find too graphic.
BARTLETT, Tenn. — Today, we got our first look at the filth Bartlett police say two children and a disabled adult were living in. All three are currently in the care of a family member.
WREG was the first to uncover deplorable conditions in a home on Mary Elizabeth Road. Police say dead cats, plus human and animal waste were found inside the home while the family was being evicted.
Three people face child neglect and animal cruelty charges. Nicole Cate, Rickey Moore, who is the father of their children, and Nicole’s mother, Winnie Kermick-Cate.
Now, Nicole’s brother is taking care of the kids and the disabled adult.
Bartlett police say a 7-year-old girl and 7-month-old boy were living in the house, which had feces everywhere, including the children’s bedrooms.
The children’s uncle didn’t want us to use his name but says the children and Nicole’s disabled sister are doing fine in his care. He and his wife have three kids of their own.
“No child should ever suffer for anything their parents do. You know, kids can’t choose their family,” he says.
He says he had no idea the house was that bad, but thinks things got out of control after he and Nicole’s father died last year. He says his sister and mother were too proud to ask for help.
“Abnormal situations turn people into something they normally aren’t. You know, sometimes, not being able to cope or deal with things hinders every bit of somebody’s life, and that’s kind of what I feel has happened. I know that’s what’s happened. It has to be what’s happened,” he says.
Police say Nicole’s disabled sister was living in a caged-off room. Police also say feces were found in buckets she reportedly had to use to go to the bathroom.
The children’s uncle says his sister, his mother and the children’s father are sorry for what they did. He’s talked to them once since they were arrested.
“You could hear the solemness and the anger in themselves for what happened, what they did,” he says.
The family was renting the house, which police say they were evicted from Friday. After that, a pile of stuff sat on the lawn until Thursday.
The landlord sent a crew out to clean up the front yard and remove any remaining items. He told us the next step will be to clean the inside of the house.
That will be tough to do.
Police say Kermick-Cate is also charged with aggravated adult neglect, because she is the primary caregiver of her disabled daughter.