A welfare check in Flint Township, Michigan, has led to felony charges against a mother accused of leaving her two special needs children home alone “for days” in what police described as horrifying, unlivable conditions.

Officers with the Flint Township Police Department responded to a call from a concerned neighbor on Wednesday, Feb. 18, in Genesee County. What they say they found inside the home has since sparked outrage and heartbreak across the community.

According to a statement and body camera footage released by the department on Facebook on Feb. 20, officers entered the residence and discovered two children alone in a house covered in trash and filth. Police said there was no edible food anywhere in the home.

One of the children was allegedly so hungry that they were attempting to eat “raw, spoiled meat,” authorities said. The other child was found curled up on the floor.

The body camera footage shows layers of garbage scattered across the floors, overturned furniture, and a faucet running continuously. Officers can be heard describing the scene as they move through the home. At one point, an officer notes that one of the children appeared to be covered in feces.

Police later confirmed that the children’s mother, identified as 32-year-old Krystal Farmer, had allegedly left them alone for several days.

“While her children endured filth, hunger and fear, she prioritized herself over their safety, abandoning them to survive on their own,” the Flint Township Police Department wrote in its public statement.

Farmer was charged on Feb. 20 with multiple felonies, including child abandonment, child abuse, and lying to an officer during a violent crime investigation.

Authorities have not publicly detailed where Farmer was during the time her children were allegedly left alone or what prompted her absence. The department has also not released the ages of the children, though officials confirmed they have special needs and required additional care and supervision.

The case began with a neighbor’s concern — a reminder of how often it is someone nearby who first senses that something is wrong. According to police, that call likely prevented an already dire situation from becoming even worse.

Inside the home, officers reportedly found no usable food. The detail that one child allegedly tried to eat raw, spoiled meat underscores just how desperate the situation had become. Police described the children as hungry and frightened when they arrived.

The footage, now circulating widely online, captures officers navigating narrow paths between mounds of trash and debris. The images are difficult to watch: floors buried under garbage, furniture tipped over, a sink left running, and signs of prolonged neglect.

Child welfare advocates say cases like this are particularly alarming when children with special needs are involved. Such children often rely heavily on routine, supervision, and assistance for daily tasks — making extended abandonment even more dangerous.

Police have not indicated whether there had been prior complaints or investigations involving the family. It remains unclear how long the children had been without proper care before the welfare check was called in.

In Michigan, child abandonment and abuse charges can carry significant prison time if convicted, particularly when prosecutors argue that a child’s health or safety was placed at serious risk. The additional charge of lying to an officer suggests that investigators believe Farmer may have attempted to mislead authorities about what happened.

For now, the children are no longer in the home. Authorities have not released details about their current placement but said they are safe.

The case has drawn strong reactions from community members, many expressing disbelief at the conditions described by police. Flint Township, like many communities, has grappled with economic hardship and strained social services in recent years, but officials emphasized that the alleged conduct in this case crossed a clear legal and moral line.

“This is why we urge people to speak up,” one officer said in the department’s video, highlighting the neighbor’s role in alerting authorities.

As the legal process begins, Farmer will face the charges in court, where prosecutors will need to prove that she knowingly left her children in dangerous conditions and that the neglect rose to the level of felony abuse.