A Dixmoor woman has been charged with neglecting her elderly mother after the mother and multiple children were found living in squalor Monday in the south suburb.
Chiquita M. King, 32, is charged with a felony count of abuse or neglect of an elderly person and two misdemeanor counts of child neglect, according to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office and court records.
King and her half-sister, 20-year-old Giovonna Davis, were arrested Monday after police removed the woman and 11 children from the home, according to Dixmoor Police Chief Ronald Burge Sr..
Police entered the home about 3 p.m. Monday in the 14200 block of Lincoln Avenue, after receiving several complaints from neighbors about conditions in the house, Burge said.
Click to view slideshow.King’s mother, a woman in her 70s whom Burge described as a “neglected senior,” was found lying on a bare mattress covered in sores or bite marks. She was taken to MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island.
Burge said officers found “deplorable conditions” in the home, with holes in the walls and mold growing throughout the house, including in a nearly-empty refrigerator. Multiple children, none older than 12, were inside when police arrived, while others tried to enter the house while officers were investigating.
Eleven children were taken from the home to the police station while police investigated, Burge said. Some were placed in the custody of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, while the rest were released to their parents.
Seven children who lived in the house have been placed under a DCFS safety plan, department spokesman Jimmie Whitelow said in a statement.
He said “some members of the household” have had prior contact with DCFS, but did not provide further details.
Judge Luciano Panici set King’s bail at $100,000 during a hearing Thursday afternoon at the Markham Courthouse, according to Cook County court records. Her next court date was set for April 22.
Davis was previously charged with one misdemeanor count each of child neglect and child endangerment, Burge said.
She appeared in court Wednesday before Judge Lisette Catherine Mojica, who set her bail at $30,000, according to court records. Her next court date was set for April 22.
Both women have since been released on I-bonds, according to court records.
Illinois Department on Aging spokesman Michael Dropka said one of the department’s contracted agencies helped police remove the elderly woman from the home. He said the department has not had any prior interactions with the family.
