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A 41-year-old Palm Coast woman faces three felony counts of child neglect without great bodily harm following a welfare check at her residence on July 16.
Deputies with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested Carla Nishikura after a neighbor reported finding a young, non-verbal autistic child wandering outside the home without clothing or shoes around 8:40 a.m. The neighbor returned the child to the home before law enforcement arrived on the scene.
According to the arrest affidavit, Nishikura told responding deputies that the child had escaped through the garage door while she was sleeping after she forgot to secure it with a zip tie.
Upon entering the residence, deputies reported a heavy odor of fecal matter. Feces was documented coating the floors, walls, and ceiling across the kitchen and living room areas. Investigators also noted urine and cracked eggs across the flooring, alongside cracked electrical outlet covers that left live wiring exposed to the children.
Three children were living in the home at the time. Due to the condition of the bedrooms, the children had been sleeping on a living room couch, according to official records.
An affidavit statement from one of the children indicated they were instructed to avoid entering one specific bedroom because of biohazard risks. The child reported that fecal matter in that room had been present for roughly a month and had hardened.
A Department of Children and Families caseworker had visited the property the day prior to the arrest and noted severe living conditions. Nishikura informed deputies that she had been working with DCF and that a professional cleaning company was arranged to clear the home; however, the company declined to complete the work citing biohazard conditions.
Nishikura acknowledged awareness of the conditions to law enforcement, stating she was unable to manage the household and children on her own.
“Thank God for good neighbors who ‘Saw Something and Said Something,'” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement. “When a little girl was found naked in the street, the entire neighborhood dropped everything to help her. They went door to door and most importantly, picked up the phone and called us. It’s the only reason why these children are safe today.”
Staly added, “What deputies found inside that home was sickening. No one, not even a dog, should spend one night living in those conditions.”
READ: Florida Supreme Court Rejects Appeal For Inmate Scheduled In Same-Day Double Execution
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Exposed Wiring, Hardened Feces: Florida Mom Charged After 3 Kids Found In Biohazard House
