Charleston , Kanawha County , West Virginia

A couple is in jail after police find their children alone, hungry and living in filth.

Police were called to the home on Marianna Street Thursday night. Inside, they found an infant, a three-year-old, a six-year-old and an eight-year-old who were left alone for several hours. Police say the house was covered in dog feces, food and trash.

Kalisa and Carlos Powell have both been charged with child neglect creating risk of injury.

The infant became severely ill, and had to be taken to the hospital.

The children had been told not to answer the door, even for police, and had no access to a phone.

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A Charleston couple allegedly left their infant and three other young children home alone in a trash-strewn residence that contained a large amount of dog feces, city police said.

Kalisa Lorre Powell, 23, and Carlos Lydell Powell, 25, allegedly left their infant and three other children, ages 3, 6 and 8, home alone in the residence at 802 Marianna St. for three hours, according to criminal complaints filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court. Kalisa Powell has been arrested on a charge of child neglect creating the risk of injury. City police say they have a warrant for Carlos Powell’s arrest on the same charge and they are trying to find him.

When the officer arrived at the residence, he saw a large amount of dog feces and food and trash strewn about in the home, the complaint said. The infant started vomiting heavily and had difficulty breathing and had to be taken to the hospital for treatment. The other children had no idea where their father or mother were and indicated they had been gone for a long time, the complaint said. The children allegedly had been told not to open the door for anyone, including the police.

The residence did not have a working telephone line, and the children did not have access to a cell phone, the complaint said. The 8-year-old allegedly told police the last meal the children had was school lunch and did not know when the infant was last fed.

Kalisa Powell was lodged in South Central Regional Jail.

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