A Florida mother, Carla Nishikura, 41, has been arrested and charged with three counts of child abuse after her three children were found living in what authorities described as "biohazard conditions" in their Palm Coast home. The residence was reportedly covered in human feces, affecting living areas, the kitchen, floors, walls, and ceilings.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office was alerted on July 16 when a neighbor reported seeing one of Nishikura's daughters, an 8-year-old, wandering outside unclothed. According to an arrest affidavit, Nishikura stated the girl, who is autistic and nonverbal, had exited the home through the garage door while she was asleep. Nishikura admitted to forgetting to secure the door with a zip tie.
Upon entering the home, law enforcement observed that the floor of the girl's bedroom, which lacked a mattress, was covered in feces, urine, and broken eggs. The affidavit also stated that officers witnessed the naked and barefoot girl using an object to scrape and manipulate fecal matter from a wall.
One of the other children informed investigators that they had been instructed not to enter the girl's room due to the excrement, which had been present in the home for approximately one month. Nishikura reportedly acknowledged the state of the house, telling police she was overwhelmed and unable to manage the home and her children alone.
Body camera footage captured an exchange between Nishikura and an officer who described one of the bedrooms as a "litterbox." Nishikura responded by questioning the officer's choice of words before attempting to re-enter the home, at which point she was handcuffed. She made exclamatory remarks toward the officers.
The Florida Department of Children and Families had reportedly visited the home the day prior and documented the "deplorable" conditions. The department attempted to secure a cleaning service, but the crew refused to enter the property due to the biohazard conditions. Nishikura was taken to the Flagler County Inmate Facility and subsequently charged with three counts of child neglect. Jail records indicate she was being held on a $7,500 bond. A judge has ordered her to have no contact with her children and set her next court date for August 18.