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Police: Children Living Amid Piles Of Trash At North Miami Home

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NORTH MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Authorities arrested a mother and father after their neighbor told police their three children were living in filth, among roaches and garbage.

North Miami Police said Lourdes Ruiz, 32, and Wanick Joseph Cadet, 35, willfully neglected their three children.

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Police, who were initially responding to investigate a possible fire, were instead told the children inside the North Miami home were not being cared for and were living in deplorable conditions.

When the officers walked into the home, they said they saw garbage that was "ankle high," piled up throughout the home.

The children, described as filthy, were seen laying in one bed covered in plastic without any sheets or bedspread.

Officers said they were only wearing underwear and their room was also filled with garbage, roaches and another bed covered in mold and feces.

Roaches and flies were also seen in the refrigerator and throughout the home, according to police.

Officer said the bathroom was also filled with garbage and human feces.

Following their visit,  the officers arrested Ruiz and Cadet on charges of child neglect with no great bodily harm.

Nilsa Ruiz says her sister Lourdes needs help. "Those kids are her life," said Ruiz, adding, "I didn't know what was going on inside the house. Apparently she has a problem."

She says her sister and Cadet were overwhelmed trying to work and care for their three daughters who range in age from five to eight.

"They took turns going to work taking care of the kids back and forth," Ruiz explained.

"The girls are in honor roll all three of them and she's a great mom but she has too much on her."

Ruiz said she believes her sister may suffer from mental illness or a hoarding issue. She hopes her sister will be able to get some help.

On Friday afternoon, a judge allowed the parents to be released from jail on a pre-trial detention.  Neither spoke to reporters as they left jail.

Officials with the Department of Children and Families went to the home to investigate.  A spokesperson for DCF said the agency had not had any prior contact with the family.

Meantime, the children are living with their paternal grandparents  and the parents will be allowed supervised visits.

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