Abandoned toddlers not yet back with parents

The two toddlers who were found alone in a dilapidated house in D'Abadie last Monday are in good health, but have not yet been returned to their parents.

Head of the police Child Protection Unit Supt Claire Guy-Alleyne gave the update while speaking at the police weekly press briefing on Wednesday.

Guy-Alleyne said the circumstances of the case have not yet changed and the children remain in the care of the Children’s Authority.

“That matter is actively under investigation, so I would not want to say much on it. But what I can say is that the children are in good health and in good condition, and the matter is being investigated.”

She added the police are doing their best to ensure a thorough investigation.

“Whenever children are victims of any crime, that child, or even an adult – we call them a survivor – their well-being is critical. So we do not rush the investigation, we go at the pace of the victim. Sometimes a victim may come with us, but they may not be ready to speak at that time and we have to respect that.”

She added the public and the media will be updated as the investigation progresses.

The children, two and three, were found when police on patrol saw the three-year-old standing naked in the road with a diaper in his hand.

The child ran into a nearby one-room structure when he saw the police vehicle.

Officers went in search of him and discovered a dilapidated home with no lighting, partially covered with galvanize and surrounded by overgrown bushes.

Police smelled a foul stench coming from the house. They called out for an adult and blared the siren but no one came out.

When they heard crying, they went inside, where they saw the children in a room with dirty clothes, junk, rat faeces and cockroaches.

The children were taken away.

Police later made contact with both parents.

The children's father later told Newsday they had been living with their mother for several months, but she had dropped them at his home as she needed medical attention.

He said he left the children in the care of their godfather that day, but returned home after 7 pm and saw the police with his children.

Minister of Social Development and Family Services Donna Cox told Newsday a social worker has since visited the parents and they were offered psycho-social support.

The ministry, in a recent press release, said it recognises its “important mandate to focus on issues and problems related to the child and the family” and is prepared to offer assistance to the family. The ministry said it also advised the family of the grants available to them, given their living conditions.

Citing news sources, it said both parents are alleged to have intellectual disabilities.

It added it intends to work closely with the Children’s Authority to determine and develop an effective intervention strategy to rehabilitate the family.