A 2-year-old child found wandering alone in the middle of a Florida street in a heavily soiled diaper, became the key to uncovering a shocking case of neglect and abuse. Concerned residents contacted authorities in Flagler County and soon discovered a home in Palm Coast in horrifying conditions—where the child’s father was found intoxicated and unconscious, and an emaciated dog suffered in filth.
Mugshot VIA – Flagler County Sheriff’s Office
On Sunday, multiple emergency calls reported a young child dressed in pajamas walking unsupervised in the middle of the street. Witnesses stated they had previously seen the toddler in the front yard of a nearby home before attempting to return the child inside. Upon entry, they found 44-year-old Ross Judy, the toddler’s father, passed out in bed, heavily intoxicated.
When Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the residence, they were met with what they later described as “deplorable living conditions” inside and outside the home. Among the horrors discovered were:
- Dangerous tools, garbage, and hazardous debris strewn across the property.
- Animal feces, filth, and an emaciated dog suffering from severe neglect, with rotting flesh on its ear.
- Alcoholic beverage containers, bugs floating in the toilet, and a sink covered in inches of cigarette ash.
- Prescription pill bottles, exposed razors, and hypodermic needles within reach of the child.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly condemned the conditions, stating, “No child should be living in such deplorable conditions with an adult who obviously doesn’t care about their well-being.” He commended the community members who intervened, allowing deputies to take action.
Ross Judy was arrested and charged with child neglect without great bodily harm and animal cruelty, specifically abandoning an animal to die, suffer, or remain diseased. He is currently being held at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility on a $4,000 bond.
The Florida Department of Children and Families has launched an investigation into the child’s welfare, while Palm Coast Animal Control is working to address the dog’s condition and fate.
This case follows last week’s incident in Muncie, Indiana, where a mother was arrested after allegedly leaving her newborn and 1-year-old alone for over 14 hours while she went to a bar. When police entered the home, they found the children covered in feces, with the newborn exhibiting severe malnutrition symptoms, including blue-tinted extremities.
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