Four children aged five to 10 have been placed under surveillance after first responders found them hidden in a filthy Boston apartment surrounded by sex toys and drugs where a black trans woman lay dead on the floor.
Emergency workers made the disturbing discovery Saturday morning when they responded to a report of an unconscious person. They found what appeared to be six men dressed as women who were uncooperative and denied having children in their home.
The children were found crammed together in a cramped room, surrounded by filth and a stench that permeated the air, hidden by an adult man reportedly wearing a wig.
They are now in state custody and no arrests had been made as of Wednesday.
“There was hoarding, a lot of uncleanness in the apartment, sex toys and drug paraphernalia everywhere,” City Councilman Erin Murphy told NBC.
At approximately 11:11 a.m. on Saturday, June 17, officers responded to the area of 381 Old Colony Avenue for a death investigation and found four children hiding in squalid conditions in a back room
Firefighters found the four kids hidden in this filthy Boston apartment where a black trans woman lay dead on the floor, surrounded by sex toys and drugs
Neighbors told NBC10 Boston they were traumatized by the discovery
He also said the transgender partygoers tried to prevent the firefighter from finding the children hidden in a back room.
“When he opened the door, he saw four kids and I think two adults in the back room, and that was really upsetting to him,” Murphy told NBC. “They just seemed scared.”
It is currently unclear what the relationship is between the people in the apartment and the children.
According to the police report, alcohol and drug use were not suspected, but the dead body was transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office intake specialist, Lindsey Cadwell, for further examination.
“This is sickening,” At-Large City Councilman Michael Flaherty told the Boston Herald. “People at the scene informed me that there were drugs, alcohol, sex toys and a dead body on the floor all over the apartment.”
Flaherty, chairman of public safety on the council, told the Boston Herald that the corpse found on the floor was “of an apparent overdose” and that “a man in a wig who claimed to be the father” of the children was found in a back bedroom. .
Police say the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families were called because of the condition of the apartment and are investigating the incident.
At-Large City Councilman Michael Flaherty (pictured) told the Boston Herald that the dead body found on the floor was “from an apparent overdose” and that “a man in a wig who claimed to be the father” of the children was found in a back bedroom
Council President Ed Flynn (pictured) said the discovery was “inhumane and horrific.”
The children were immediately removed from the hazardous environment and taken to Child Protective Services, where medical professionals assessed their physical and mental condition.
The four children are now in DCF custody, the agency confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.
Council President Ed Flynn said the discovery was “inhuman and appalling,” according to the Boston Herald.
“This underscores the need for oversight of BHA inspections and evacuation practices, security efforts in developments and protocols to ensure children are safe in every BHA apartment.”
Neighbors told NBC10 Boston they were traumatized by the discovery.
“Pretty traumatized seeing what happened,” said a neighbor. “I haven’t slept in a few nights.”
The shocked neighbor also said she would like to see more police in the area.
“I think in light of what’s happened, it would be smart to let them come more to keep things under control and make us feel like we can come and go comfortably,” she said.
The neighbor told NBC10 that she hasn’t felt safe in the apartment complex for years.
“People who throw open the doors to get in, people who hang out all night and go on a rampage,” she said.
The Boston City Council is expected to meet in a week to discuss the situation, find out what happened and how to improve living conditions in Boston’s public housing.