MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A Marion County woman was arrested after deputies found her six children -- ranging in age from 2 to 13 -- home alone and living in deplorable conditions.
Deputies were called to the Porter Shoes neighborhood on Banyon Course on Tuesday when a 2-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy were found wandering in the road.
They said the children were barely clothed and a witness gave a towel to the young girl so she could cover up.
Deputies later found that the children’s mother, Sara Resko, 30, left six children alone at their home.
The children were infested with lice and covered with open sores, deputies said.
The children told deputies that Resko had left them alone at the home while she was at work.
Deputies said the home was in disarray with no running water, no food and no electricity. The floor was covered in dog feces and the home was infested with flies, deputies said.
When Resko arrived at the home nearly two hours later, she told deputies that she had just been gone for a few minutes, but quickly began changing her story once deputies told her how long they had been there investigating, deputies said.
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Angie Szymanski, who lives across the street from Resko, said she and her husband have contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families several times about the children being left unsupervised.
"I didn't know that it was that bad. When we saw the pictures -- that's horrible," she said. "All that we wanted was (for) the kids to be well cared for."
Resko had been in trouble twice before for leaving the children unsupervised.
DCF responded to an incident on Feb. 2 and implemented a supervision plan with Resko, who was instructed to not allow the 13-year-old to babysit the other children.
Case managers conducted weekly visits, but DCF said Resko did not comply with the conditions.
DCF now has custody of the six children. Resko was arrested and is facing six charges of child neglect.