Investigators say City DHCD helped place 6 kids in child neglect case, Mayor reacts

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A Baltimore mother at the center of a child neglect case has been denied bond.

Teonna Brown, 34, is facing six counts of child neglect after Baltimore Police say officers found her six children, ages 9, 7, 6, 5, 3 and 1 alone and living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

ALSO READ | Mother denied bond on child neglect charges after six children found alone in Baltimore

Meanwhile, new questions remain for the city about how the family ended up in the home.

According to court documents, after the children were discovered a building inspector responded to the home on E. Monument street and determined it was unsuitable for occupancy, including concerns involving the gas service.

This has prompted questions for the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development.

ALSO READ | Building inspector condemns Baltimore rental after 6 children found alone; mother arrested

Investigators said crisis workers with DHCD also responded to the home and revealed on April 22, just five months prior, they had assisted with placing Brown and her children at the rental home.

FOX45 News asked why the family was placed there and whether proper protocol was followed.

Mayor Brandon Scott addressed the issue.

“We did discover that the family was receiving some assistance through crisis assistance from the housing department, which should have meant that it added an extra layer of oversight that clearly did not happen. And let me be very clear, that will be addressed fully and completely with the Department of Housing and Community Development.”

The Mayor added,

“We will also be looking at a tougher, hard look at whether the landlord, private landlord who owned this property was aware of the condition and take any action that we can take there as well because it’s unacceptable that those children were living in a condition like that and everybody that had the opportunity to do something that did not will feel the full wrath of me and city government.”

Brown was denied bond and is to have no contact with her children.

She remains in custody until her preliminary hearing.