Children Living in Bus: How Could This Happen?
Authorities have taken custody of two children found living inside an abandoned school bus, and the nation is wondering how this could have happened.
The Houston Chronicle first reported that a postal carrier found the children, a 5-year-old boy and 11-year-old girl, on Wednesday. Both siblings were in acceptable health for living in such deplorable conditions.
Where were their parents? Mike and Sherrie Shorten were in prison for embezzling money from hurricane victims; they have been in prison since 2010. One woman was found living on the bus with the children, but she was not readily identified.
In an interview with Mike Shorten, it was revealed that an aunt was to take responsibility for the two. The family has had problems with providing acceptable care for the children. According to one report by Local 2 Investigates, 10 calls were made to law enforcement officials.
"In two of the calls to police, the 5-year old apparently called for help and the aunt who was supposed to be caring for him then downplayed any need for police," Local 2 reports. In an interview with Gwen Carter, a worker with Child Protective Services, she revealed that her caseworks never received paperwork about the situation.
"At this point, our investigation is very new. We continue to try and gather information so we can make a determination of what's in the best interest of the children," Carter told Local 2.
More was learned about the condition the children were in when found. "The children have been out in the neighborhood playing, and the little girl's hair is all matted up, and I could tell she was not taking a bath and the little boy was pretty dirty. It's heartbreaking for children to be… I didn't realize it was like this. I didn't realize these children were basically abandoned," said Vanessa Picazo.
Picazo was the one to alert authorities to the children living in the bus.
"The aunt said that she does provide meals for them during the day, but we didn't see a lot of food readily available," Montgomery County Constable Rowdy Hayden told local TV station KTRK.
"One of the neighbors had told us earlier that from time to time she will bring food over the children," Hayden added.
Second, when calls were made to the authorities, the aunt was able to convince them she didn't actually need help. And third, the paperwork from those multiple calls was never forwarded to the appropriate authority.
The kids' mother, Sherrie, is due to be released from prison next month. "I'm coming home in 30 days to be able to take care of my kids," she told the Associated Press. However, it is not clear if she will be able to regain custody of her children. It is unknown if Sherrie will be able to provide for her children, and if that is truly in the best interest of the kids.
