12/27/2021- 7:21 p.m.
Texas– Two people were arrested this week for child endangerment. Smith County Sheriff’s Office deputies found four children inside a residence that was “extremely dirty.” Some of the children were covered in feces and locked inside a room without clothes.
Katelynn Schengeli was detained on Wednesday and charged with four counts of child endangerment. At 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, deputies also arrested 27-year-old Cory Evans, the father of twin girls and an 11-month-old infant involved in this incident. Evans was charged with four counts of child endangerment and his bond was set at $50,000 for each charge. He was booked into the Smith County Jail.
UT Health EMS and deputies made it to the scene, and they spoke with the mother. She was identified as Katelynn Schengeli, 26. She was responsive and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, said law enforcement.
Schengeli told deputies she had consumed liquor earlier that day. EMS informed deputies they saw an 11-month-old infant screaming in a crib next to Schengeli’s bed.
“All children have been placed in a safe living environment,” said the sheriff’s office.
The infant was covered in feces that spilled out of their full diaper, according to EMS. They had to change the infant’s diaper and clean the feces off of them. Officials later heard screaming in another part of the residence. They found 4-year-old twin girls locked inside of a room, and there was a large safe blocking the door.
The child that was screaming was begging deputies for water. The other child was sleeping on the floor without clothes, and she was next to a dirty diaper. Officials immediately provided both girls with clothes and water.
Investigators were notified of the situation, and a deputy contacted Child Protective Services so they could remove the children. Law enforcement noticed the living conditions inside the mobile home were “extremely inadequate for children,” said the sheriff’s office. Officials also said the house was extremely dirty and each of the rooms had a potent odor of feces. The twin girls and the 11-month-old infant appeared to be in poor physical shape and malnourished.
The 11-month-old was the size of an infant between 3-6 months old, said law enforcement. CPS removed the children from the home. The infant and the twins were transported to UT Health for a medical evaluation.
