Two Florida children were found locked in a disgusting, roach-infested room with no heat after calling for help from a broken bedroom window.
According to a report from My Panhandle.com, deputies from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in Panama City at 8529 Terrell St. Lot B on December 1.
True Crime News reports that two children, ages 4 and 5, were “yelling out of a broken window, begging for help” from neighbors. The victims stated they needed to use the restroom, but their bedroom door was locked.
When the deputies arrived, the children were “hanging out of a window of the house,” which was secured by a nailed-in board.
Upon entering the home, deputies encountered a strong smell of urine and feces coming from the bedroom. The children were found locked in the room by a steel cable wrapped around the door handle. The room contained a bed with no sheets, covered in dirt, along with a few blankets and a pillow on the filthy, trash-covered floor. Cockroaches infested both the floor and walls.
Child Protective Services were called in to assess the situation. During their evaluation, the children informed them that they were not allowed to leave the room at night, even to use the restroom. The 5-year-old also mentioned that he was “freezing” and that “his lips were cold.” The house did not have working heat.
The children’s mother, Kathy Merrill, 27, and father, John Merrill, 31, admitted to authorities that they kept the kids locked in the room at night until they woke up. They had been locking them in since 2023. The mother acknowledged the filthy conditions of the room but claimed she “did not have the energy to clean.” The parents stated they “have been trying to teach the kids to clean their room.”
Michael Beaubien, 73, also resides in the home. Beaubien, the children’s paternal grandfather, was reportedly aware of the children being locked in the room and the filthy conditions.
Both Kathy and John Merrill have been arrested on two counts of child neglect. The grandfather has been charged with failure to report child neglect.
[Feature Photos via Bay County Sheriff’s Office]
