A couple from Florida has been apprehended after authorities discovered their five children living in deplorable conditions. The children were found alone in a home without food, electricity, or a functioning toilet. Sanel Canovic, 40, and Azra Nikocevic, 33, are now facing five charges each of child neglect without bodily harm, according to court documents.
The investigation was initiated on Tuesday afternoon when a concerned passerby noticed a 6-year-old boy crossing a busy street by himself in the 700 block of 15th Street. The passerby promptly alerted the authorities, who were led by the boy to his nearby apartment.
Upon entering the apartment, the police were met with a shocking scene. Four other children, all under the age of 12, were found living in the squalid conditions. The apartment had no electricity, no functioning toilet, and no food. The children revealed to the officers that they had not eaten in over 12 hours and were hungry. The officers then took the children to the police station where they were fed while attempts were made to locate their parents.
The parents, however, were nowhere to be found. An arrest affidavit obtained by a local NBC affiliate, WTVJ, provided further details about the children’s living conditions. The toilet in the home was filled with feces and the children were allegedly instructed to shower after using the bathroom due to the lack of toilet paper. The police also found soiled rags in the bathroom and the children were wearing dirty clothes and smelled of urine.
The children also revealed that they had been living without electricity for approximately two months. The eldest daughter explained that they usually had breakfast and lunch at school, but since it was the Christmas break, they often had nothing to eat. Their mother had reportedly left them $20 for food at McDonald’s before she went to work on Tuesday.
The affidavit also stated that the parents would often eat dinner without providing food for the children and would frequently leave the children at home while they went out to dinner. The mother was eventually contacted by the police and asked to come to the police station. She admitted that they were behind on their bills, which led to the electricity being shut off about six weeks ago. Nikocevic confirmed that she had given her children $20 for food but had no way of knowing if they had eaten anything as they could not contact her at work.
Canovic arrived at the police station but refused to speak with the police without a lawyer. He was then transported to the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation facility, where he remains on a $7,500 bond. Nikocevic was released on her own recognizance. The couple’s next court date is scheduled for January 30.