A pregnant Oklahoma woman pleaded not guilty of child neglect Thursday when authorities found her 12 children in a trash-filled Tulsa home with collapsing ceilings and no running water.
Aside from the feet-deep trash inside the house, the yard is also filled with trash and mattresses that the woman said are infested with bed bugs. A box of drugs including methamphetamine was found in a hole in the backyard covered with leaves, the Associated Press reported.
A police search warrant affidavit states that the woman said that if her children lived at the house all the time, they "would be really sick."
The 38-year-old woman appeared by video from jail to say her plea to Special Judge Deborrah Ludi-Leitch. The judge also appointed a public defender to represent the woman and set a June 30 court date.
The affidavit added that the woman has at least 33 referrals and investigations in the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Some of the children have been in and out of state custody throughout their lives.
A DHS employee photographed the home and contacted the police. Upon their arrival at the home, the woman told the authorities that she was three months pregnant with her 13th child.
Four of the children were already taken into DHS custody, while the other eight's locations are still unknown, Tulsa Police Det. Aubrie Thompson said Thursday.
The 41-year-old man she is living with was also charged with child neglect and is due for a court hearing next week, AP reported.
Names of the adults are withheld to protect the identities of the children.
