Deputies in Deltona, Florida, arrested a couple after their 4-year-old son was found alone in a retention pond, leading to the discovery of a squalid home environment. The Volusia Sheriff’s Office received a call on Saturday morning about an unaccompanied toddler near a pond.
Upon arrival, officers found the child wading in the marshy area of the pond. Bodycam footage showed a deputy retrieving the boy and placing him in a patrol car. When the child indicated his home, deputies investigated and discovered "filthy conditions," including "copious animal waste, a roach infestation, and mold," according to a statement from the sheriff's office.
A neglected dog found in a cage inside the home was turned over to Deltona Animal Control. The child's parents, Fermin Medrano-Perez, 26, and Jeneixa Rodriguez-Crespo, 24, were taken into custody and charged with child neglect and animal cruelty.
The child has since been placed in the custody of a grandparent, and the Florida Department of Children and Families has been notified.