‘The worst thing I’ve ever seen,’ police chief says of children living in filth

Two children and 31 animals were removed this week from a Troup County home littered with rotten food, feces and trash.

In his 37 years of law enforcement, Hogansville Police Chief Brian Harr said he’s seen things that make him physically sick, or are “just very despairing.”

“But this house and this incident is probably the worst thing I’ve ever seen as far as any child or any adult living in such conditions,” Harr said by telephone Thursday.

Brandi Pybus-McCoy, 41, and Nicholas Luciano, age 29, both of Hogansville, are charged with two counts of first-degree cruelty to children, two counts of first-degree cruelty to animals and one count of unlawful dumping of waste.

Eamantha Leanne Crain, 22, and Zachariah C. McCoy, 22, also of Hogansville, were charged with two counts of deprivation of a minor and one count of unlawful dumping of waste.

Crain, who is the mother of the children, is also the daughter of Pybus-McCoy, Harr said. The relationship of the men to the women was unclear.

The children, ages 7 months and 2 years, were placed in protective custody of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services.

The people were also living in a small, unkempt camper trailer parked in the driveway, according to a police news release.

Authorities entering the home Monday wore air tanks and protective clothing due to the smell and interior conditions of the residence.

The water had been turned off for several weeks because of a possible water leak, which accounted for large amounts of human waste and trash found both inside and outside the residence, the release said.

“There are literally thousands of spiders… roaches, other bugs, we found human feces, human and animal, strung throughout the house,” Hogansville police Sgt. Jeff Sheppard told 11Alive. “It really is heartbreaking. What really concerned us is mangled in all of this were children's toys, high chair, crayons.”

Animals ranging from cats and dogs to a pot belly pig were taken from the property.

The LaGrange Daily News posted a photo of the home on its Facebook page.

The situation was reported anonymously to authorities, the release said. A Hogansville police code enforcement officer went out to the home and called for assistance from patrol and investigations personnel based on what was found and after talking with the residents.

The Hogansville Police Department was assisted by the City of Hogansville Public Works, Troup County Marshals Department, City of LaGrange Animal Control and the Troup County Fire Department.

Authorities were on scene from about 4 p.m. to midnight. WTVM broadcast from the scene.

This story was originally published March 9, 2017 at 1:28 PM with the headline "‘The worst thing I’ve ever seen,’ police chief says of children living in filth."