COLUMBUS — Two people were arrested after an 11-month-old was left alone and in poor living conditions at a home in Columbus Sunday evening.
Columbus Police Department officers were initially called to a home in the 1700 block of Elm Street around 11 p.m. for a welfare check on an infant that was reportedly left home alone. Several minutes after arriving, police say a 38-year-old man who lives in the home returned and told officers that the infant had been picked up by a friend and was not inside.
After making contact with the infant's mother, police were able to gain entry into the home and found the 11-month-old. Officers also found "deplorable living conditions, including the overwhelming odor of animal urine and feces" inside the home.
The man and the child's mother were both arrested and taken to the Bartholomew County Jail on a preliminary charge of neglect of a dependent. The Indiana Department of Child Services was also contacted to assist with the call.
The Bartholomew County Prosecutor will make a final decision on charges. The incident remains under investigation.
