FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – After five children were removed from an insect-infested home without access to food and water, Flagler County deputies are hoping members of the community to step up to help the siblings.
Deputies said the five siblings -- a 14-year-old girl, a 12-year-old girl, a 9-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy -- were taken into Department of Children and Families custody after the eldest child called an abuse hotline Thursday and said that she was being emotionally and physically abused by her mother.
Recommended Videos
When deputies arrived at the home, they said they found each room in the home was littered with animal feces, animal urine, rotting food and crawling with roaches and other insects.
The residence had no running water and the only food was a bag of frozen chicken in the freezer, according to a news release.
In some rooms, the floors were not visible due to the abundance of waste, and deputies noticed their boots were sticking to the floor as they walked, authorities said.
The children's parents, Betty Nicolicchia-Allen, 42, and Dennis Allen, 33, were arrested on child neglect charges.
Since the children were removed from the home, deputies said they've been contacted by members of the community who are eager to help the siblings.
Donations can be dropped off at the Community Baptist Church at 956 S. Old Dixie Highway in Bunnell from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Thursday. Monetary donations can be made online here or by mailing or dropping off a check to the church with "Allen children" written in the memo line.
"I am so impressed with the community's desire to help these children in need," Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said. "Thank you for coming together to help and support them and thank you to the Community Baptist Church for stepping up to help them and for looking out for them."
The girls are currently in one foster home while the boys are in another, but the Community Partnership for Children is working to place them all together at the Florida Sheriff's Youth Ranches Bradenton campus. Final placement decisions are up to DCF and the courts.