Florida parents arrested after human feces-covered son, 2, found living in car with cockroaches and drugs
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FORT MYERS, FLORIDA: A Florida couple has been arrested for a series of charges following cops discovering their two-year-old son living in their car in filthy conditions. In a press release, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office stated that the couple Zachary Sousa Engren, 22, and Jillian Larae Meyers, 20, were taken under custody. According to the report, police found a toddler living in their vehicle, which was filled with trash after they were spotted at a traffic stop on December 20.
The vehicle was in a 'squalid condition' with cockroaches crawling on the child's body and they also spotted assorted boxes with insects and reptiles kept in the trunk. The young child smelled of human feces. The couple was unable to answer the cops about when their son was last fed or why no diapers or wipes were kept in the car, reports Fox News.
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"The Sheriff’s Office stopped the Chevrolet sedan the couple was traveling in at approximately 11:30 p.m. near Mile Marker 55 following reports of a reckless driver. Engren was the driver. Meyers was a passenger as well as a 24-year-old male and a 2-year-old boy, who was in a car seat," said the law enforcement agency.
The police found the third passenger in the vehicle who was not charged or arrested. Apparently, he lived with the couple in the car as per their statement to the police. The male passenger told the police that their group's purpose for being in the Florida Keys was to collect insects and reptiles.
"A strong odor of marijuana was emitting from the vehicle. Deputies found a .40-caliber Glock handgun under the passenger seat as well as multiple marijuana cigarettes and loose marijuana in the vehicle," the police said.
The couple is "charged with child abuse, possession of marijuana, possession of synthetic marijuana, and possession of marijuana paraphernalia," according to a Facebook post by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office -the Florida Keys.
"Engren was also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Meyers faces an additional charge of possession of a concealed firearm without a permit," said the post.
The officials moved the child out of the car and then contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families. On the other hand, Engren and Meyers were taken to jail.