Two Texas Men Arrested After Children Found in Home That "Smelled Like Death"
A neighbor's call about a foul smell from a house on East Young Avenue in Temple, Texas led police officers to one of the most disturbing scenes they had encountered — and to two children, ages 8 and 10, who had apparently never set foot in a school.
Michael Robbins, 34, and John Robbins, 68, were arrested on May 22 after a Temple Police Department investigation. Both face charges of abandoning or endangering a child with intent. They were jailed on a $30,000 bond each.
What Officers Found
Officers were dispatched to the 500 block of East Young Avenue on May 20 after a caller reported a foul odor from the residence and no sign of activity from the neighbor. As officers approached, they confirmed the smell — one officer stated the home "smelled like death," according to arrest affidavits obtained by KWTX. Flies were swarming around the windows.
Officers knocked repeatedly with no response and began to suspect someone inside had died. They made entry into the residence and found Michael and John Robbins coming to the door.
What they discovered inside was described in affidavits as a home "completely filled with rotting garbage on the floor and surfaces." Rodent feces and maggots were present throughout. Two children — ages 8 and 10 — were found sitting in a bathtub half filled with dirty water. They had matted hair and smelled of urine, feces, body odor, and stagnant water, according to police.
The children told officers they had never been to school and did not know how to read or write.
Children Had Never Attended School
The disclosure that both children — ages 8 and 10 — had never attended school and were illiterate added a layer of long-term neglect to what was already a serious abuse situation. Texas law requires children to attend school beginning at age six. The ages of the children suggest at least two years, and possibly more, of missed mandatory enrollment.
Texas Child Protective Services responded to the scene and took custody of both children. Their current condition and placement have not been publicly disclosed.
The Arrests
Michael Robbins, 34, and John Robbins, 68, were identified as the adults in the home. Their exact relationship to the children has not been publicly confirmed by police. Both were booked into Bell County Jail. The investigation is ongoing.
Temple is a city of approximately 80,000 people located about 65 miles north of Austin. The Bell County District Attorney's office has not yet announced whether additional charges are being considered.
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