Philadelphia Removes 2 Children and 39 Animals From Hoarder House as FBI Leads Search

Q: What is the link between the parents' alleged terror threats and the horrific conditions their children endured?

The only confirmed link is procedural, not causal: the alleged threats against the White House triggered the FBI search, and that search exposed the children’s living conditions. According to the reporting, federal agents went to the Whitaker Avenue home to execute a warrant tied to the terror-threat investigation. Once inside, they encountered a powerful odor and conditions severe enough to bring in a hazmat response. That is when authorities found the 5-year-old and 8-month-old living amid feces, fleas, trash, no running water, and numerous animals, including dead cats and at least one dead dog. So far, authorities have not publicly said the alleged threats themselves caused the neglect or that the two cases are substantively connected beyond the same household and the same parents. The terror-threat matter remains a federal investigation, while the child-endangerment case stems from what agents discovered during the search. What the facts do show is that the federal inquiry uncovered evidence of extreme neglect that might otherwise have remained hidden. The parents were taken into custody and face child endangerment charges, while the children were hospitalized for evaluation and placed with the Department of Human Services. Firearms and other evidence were also removed from the property. In short, the terror-threat allegations led investigators to the home; the search then revealed the children’s horrific conditions. No stronger public link has been established yet.

3 articles · Updated · WGR550 · Jul 8

Two young children were taken to a hospital after police removed them from an unsafe, uninhabitable duplex on Whitaker Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia.
At least 39 animals — 38 cats and one dog — were also taken from the home, where PSPCA officers spent hours carrying out crates and a strong odor reached the sidewalk.
Philadelphia police said the Special Victims Unit is investigating the children’s welfare, while the FBI is leading a court-authorized enforcement search of the property.
Licenses and Inspections joined animal law enforcement at the scene, but officials have not detailed the interior conditions or said what consequences the homeowners may face.