TX - Kendrick Lee, 8, murdered, 3 sibs abandoned, Houston, 20 Oct 2021 *ARRESTS*

[kkdj]

Perhaps the neighbor also had something to hide from the police so didn't call them or CPS.
Just a thought.
moo

 

[HMSHood]

What the heck? How is this even possible I wonder.....Didn't neighbors hear or see something or noticed an obnoxious smell. How long were they abandoned yet? "parents didn't live there for several months" djeez.....how were they supposed to get food and other necessary things?......This poor kids. What is wrong with the mother and the boyfriend...OMG

I wonder about that too. How did the 9 year old boy die?

Was the parents ever at the apartment during the past year?

 

[Trebor5591]

Here is an account by the neighbor who was providing food to the 15 year old boy.

Houston abandoned children: Neighbor didn't know they lived alone | khou.com

 

[Shamrock1]

I wonder about that too. How did the 9 year old boy die?

Was the parents ever at the apartment during the past year?

He could have choked, fallen off a bunk bed, accidentally pulled a bookshelf down on him, gone septic after a major untreated burn injury, etc. There’s so many ways a child can get hurt in the home without adequate supervision. Those are all just hypotheticals that I’ve encountered in the past - no evidence of any cause here, to my knowledge. And JMO.

 

[CrimeAway]

After hearing that the parents were questioned, but not arrested/charged, I am wondering if
(i) perhaps they didn't have custody for some reason, and/or
(ii) there was not enough evidence to arrest/charge at this point.

I hope that the authorities can get to the bottom of what occurred, and most of importantly, that these kids get the help and love that they deserve.

All JMO.

 

[HMSHood]

He could have choked, fallen off a bunk bed, accidentally pulled a bookshelf down on him, gone septic after a major untreated burn injury, etc. There’s so many ways a child can get hurt in the home without adequate supervision. Those are all just hypotheticals that I’ve encountered in the past - no evidence of any cause here, to my knowledge. And JMO.

Could be. There will need to be an investigation.

 

[miss-scarlett23]

"Both neighbors said they never called authorities because they didn't understand the magnitude of the situation. They said the 15-year-old kept to himself and was quiet and didn't answer many questions."

Kids in Harris Co. apartment relied on neighbors for food, while mom lived minutes away

 

[Shamrock1]

The 15yr old hesitated to accept certain foods for fear of being poisoned. I can’t help but think of those poisoned powdered doughnuts from Flowers in the Attic. Also, CPS had a history with the family, but there wasn’t an open investigation. Kids in Harris Co. apartment relied on neighbors for food, while mom lived minutes away

 

[PhoebeTries]

Horrific.

 

[bears10]

The 15yr old hesitated to accept certain foods for fear of being poisoned. I can’t help but think of those poisoned powdered doughnuts from Flowers in the Attic. Also, CPS had a history with the family, but there wasn’t an open investigation. Kids in Harris Co. apartment relied on neighbors for food, while mom lived minutes away

also from your link…

He also told deputies that his mom hasn't been back in months, leaving him and his two other brothers, ages 7 and 10, alone.

Before calling for help, the 15-year-old texted his mom to tell her he could not take it anymore, ABC13 has learned.

snip

"She would come and park, and he would run down and grab noodles, drinks and chips and run back up," Chapman said.

snip

Meanwhile, ABC13 learned the mother and her boyfriend lived in an apartment just 15 minutes away in Westchase.

Snip

Alief ISD confirmed to ABC13 that in 2019 and 2020, the school district filed truancy papers against the mother. Two of her children apparently failed to show up to school.

 

[Pesto919]

Covid probably has a lot to do that these kids falling through the cracks.
Maybe the mom didn't have custody?

 

[tlcya]

Children's Protective Services is seeking emergency custody of all three siblings. They said there was no prior investigation of the family. Houston abandoned children: Neighbor didn't know they lived alone | khou.com

The above snip shocks me. I would have bet all the money in the world that this household had a long history with CPS.

I am still confused and angry that the mother and BF were released with no charges. I don't understand this at all.

 

[tlcya]

Meanwhile, ABC13 learned the mother and her boyfriend lived in an apartment just 15 minutes away in Westchase. On Monday, after the couple was questioned and released by the Harris County Sheriff's Office, ABC13 ran into the couple. They rolled up their window and quickly drove off.

[snip]

Tanieka said the mother and her boyfriend lived in a unit downstairs and were frequently seen by neighbors. She estimated they have been living there since January or February.
Kids in Harris Co. apartment relied on neighbors for food, while mom lived minutes away

just wow SMDH

 

[Shamrock1]

So who had custody? I know the truancy papers were filed against the mother, but LE isn’t saying anything about custody. https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/neighbor-helped-teen-abandoned-with-siblings/285-acfcb224-1e14-4c71-82cb-2ef02830a984

I wonder if the boyfriend is prohibited from being around kids? That would be one reason (a bad one, obviously) for the mother to maintain a different residence. Before this news that the parent(s) lived nearby, my guess was that they were incarcerated, in rehab, or hospitalized. JMO.

 

[tlcya]

A neighbor of the abandoned children told ABC 13 in Houston that she had complained for months about a horrible smell coming from their apartment. The woman, who has chosen to remain unidentified, told the outlet that the odor was sometimes so bad that she would turn off her air conditioner to halt the smell from coming in. She says she complained numerous times about the odor to the front office but nothing was done.
Three Abandoned Kids Found In Apartment With Skeletal Remains Of Their 9-Year-Old Brother | Oxygen Official Site

 

[cocomod]

This case absolutely breaks my heart! I can't imagine what these poor kids have experienced.

 

[oviedo]

How can this even be possible? Reading all these reports it's hard to believe this can happen now - and yet no arrests?

something is amiss
IMO

 

[bestill]

Those poor boys. Abandoned and living in those horrific conditions. I pray they can get over this. Can't imagine the PTSD they are going to have. The oldest brother's paranoia about eating poisoned food is very strange, wonder if that is what his brother died from, toxins from spoiled food or drink.

 

[JessiByr]

Ruled homocide with signs of brutal force. *sigh* Houston abandoned children: Cause of death ruled homicide | khou.com

Arrest HAS to be imminent now.

 

[Peony459]

Even if the mother didn't have custody of the children, the fact that she gave the oldest a cell phone and her contact number and would drop by with food "now and then" shows she was the party responsible for them. Why not arrest her on child neglect/abuse if nothing else? What about the skeleton? I sorta get the neighbor thinking there was only one child in there and not wanting him to cut her off so she didn't pry. Why didn't anyone call the police for the smell when management did nothing? So many questions.