Mom of special-needs kids charged with abuse after police find them eating spoiled meat in trash-filled home
02/25/2026 12:43 pm PST
FLINT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (TCN) -- A mother has been arrested and charged after a neighbor called 911 out of concern for the woman’s two special-needs children.
The Flint Township Police Department announced Krystal Farmer, 35, was charged Feb. 20 with two counts of child abandonment, two counts of second-degree child abuse, two counts of second-degree child abuse in the presence of another child, and one count of lying to a peace officer during a violent crime investigation.
When officers responded to the home, they reported the house felt abandoned, according to WJBK. A faucet was running, feces was smeared along the walls at a child’s height, and there was no food, clean clothes, or phone. The floors were so caked with trash that officers found it difficult to walk.
According to police, the two children in the home had special needs. One was reportedly curled up on a bedroom floor and the other was trying to eat raw, spoiled meat. An investigation determined the two had been left alone for days.
When initially questioned, Farmer allegedly lied to the police about leaving the children home alone, Law & Crime reports.
WNEM reports the neighbor, Christy Ogles-Campbell, said she had suspected something was wrong since September 2025. She said, “I never ever could have imagined that that was actually what was going on in that house.”
In a statement, the Flint Township Police Department said, “For children with special needs, routine is security. Familiar voices, predictable schedules, and steady care are what make the world feel manageable. Strip that away, and even a short disruption can feel overwhelming. In that house, hours stretched into days. Hunger and thirst set in, and confusion turned into fear. No meals at set times, no bedtime routine, no adult guidance magnified every sound, every shadow, every moment of uncertainty.”
WNEM reports Farmer was arraigned Feb. 21 with bond set at $64,000. Her next hearing is a probable cause conference on March 5.
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