DEEPWATER, W.Va. — A Fayette County couple is in jail after three children were found neglected.
Officials at an area school contacted the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department last week after four students, who are siblings, were not seen at school for about two weeks. Deputies were unable to find a fixed address and therefore could not locate them.
On Wednesday, law enforcement received a tip to the possible location of the family. Deputies went to a believed to be unoccupied cabin along Boonesboro Road alongside Smithers and Montgomery Police.
Inside they found three of the four children ages 6, 7 and 14. The fourth child was found safe later at a Montgomery residence. The Sheriff’s Department’s report describes the cabin’s condition:
“No running water or bathroom. No food was in the home and there were exposed electrical wires/breaker box in reach of the children. The cabin was extremely filthy, run down and unlivable.”
Mother of all four children Veronica Cabrera, 41 of Montgomery, and the father to one of the children Shawn Schoolcraft, 28 of Montgomery, were both charged with three counts of Child Neglect Creating Risk of Injury.
Child Protective Services responded to assist the children. All of them have been released to their grandmother after being screened by EMS crews.
“It has been said a million times, it’s the kids who always suffer the most,” said Fayette County Sheriff Mike Fridley. “You can make excuses all day, but really there is no excuse for exposing your children to these conditions.”
The case remains under investigation.