Neighbors shocked after learning 3 children rescued from deplorable conditions in Bushwick apartment
BUSHWICK, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Neighbors say they are shocked following the arrest of a mother and her boyfriend after police discovered her children were living in deplorable conditions at an apartment in Brooklyn.
"There were times I did hear the kids screaming or saying that they were hungry or thirsty," said neighbor Jose Lopez.
A parent himself - Lopez says those cries compelled him to go upstairs to his neighbors' second floor apartment on at least one occasion, to see if he could help the children.
"They didn't really look like they were getting fed properly or being properly addressed," he said. "Because there were times where I've seen them leaving back to the Bronx and only the 6-year-old had a jacket."
Found unattended in the apartment inside a building on Linden Street in Bushwick, police say a 6-year-old girl, 3-year-old boy and 10-month-old girl showed possible signs of malnourishment.
According to the criminal complaint, the 3-year-old boy was, "tied up to the bedframe of a bed with a sweater," suffering "swelling and bruising about the wrist."
The mother, from the Bronx, was apparently living with her boyfriend.
"The mother was probably doing fine before she met this guy, but then I think as she met him, she just started doing everything he was doing," Lopez said. "So, as he was bringing her down I guess that's when she stopped really caring about her own kids."
Kiana Messier, 25, is now charged with second-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree reckless endangerment.
Her boyfriend, 26-year-old Thomas Madera, faces many of the same charges including unlawful imprisonment.
"That's horrible, that's terrifying. I had no idea," one neighbor said.
Neighbors say they started noticing the mother and children in the building about eight months ago.
They say a cousin tipped off police who showed up to the building Tuesday morning.
"It's terrible. I was here when I saw the kids going into the ambulance," Lopez said. "The little girl looked at me and smiled. It made me cry, because as a parent, no parent or no kid should have to go through that. You shouldn't have a family if you're not going to care for them."
New York City's Administration for Child Services (ACS) says it is involved in the investigation and that the children are now safely in its care.
The boyfriend was arraigned and held on $5,000 bail. The mother was set for arraignment on Thursday.
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