A Florida couple was charged this week after their five children were found abandoned in a filthy apartment without food, electricity, or a working toilet.
Sanel Canovic, 40, and Azra Nikocevic, 33, are facing five counts each of child neglect with no great bodily harm.
A witness called the police Tuesday afternoon after spotting a 6-year-old boy crossing a high-traffic road without supervision.
“The kid didn’t look very clean. I think he was still wearing school uniform even though school has been out for a couple of days. His clothes were oversized and his iPad was broken, I don’t know, there was something that told me he wasn’t being taken care of.”
The child led officers to an apartment where they found three other children. The apartment had a non-functioning stove, a non-working toilet, and no electricity.
A 12-year-old girl told the police that she took care of her siblings who were constantly hungry because the parents ate outside the home.
“The parents would frequently share a meal in the evening without providing food for the children,”
“They would often leave the children at home while they went out for dinner.”
The children’s mother explained that they were behind on their bills while the father declined to give statements to detectives.
