Skeletal remains of 9-year-old, 3 abandoned children found at Houston apartment

Police discovered a gruesome scene Sunday after skeletal remains of a 9-year-old and three abandoned children were found at a Houston apartment.

According to KTRK, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the 9-year-old may have been dead for as long as a year.

A 15-year-old called 911 Sunday to report that his younger brother had been dead in the apartment for a year. The teen told dispatch that the children’s parents had not lived with them for several months.

Law enforcement officials investigate a scene where, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, three juveniles were found living alone along with the skeletal remains of another person, possibly a juvenile, in a third floor apartment at the CityParc II at West Oaks Apartments on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, at in west Houston. (Mark Mulligan/)

When officers arrived, they discovered the remains, the 15-year-old and two other boys, ages 10 and 7. The children showed signs of malnourishment and physical injury and were taken to a hospital to be treated.

Police said late Sunday night that the boys’ mother and her boyfriend had been found and were being interviewed.

“I have been in this business a long time, and never saw anything like this,” Harris County sheriff Ed Gonzalez said, describing the squalid conditions at the apartment.

“[We’re] Connecting all the dots at this point, it appears [the kids] were in there while the body was deteriorating,” Gonzalez said.

The sheriff said no charges had been filed but their investigation remained underway.