JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A mother was arrested on a child neglect charge after her son was found living in filth, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Anna Payne, 30, reported her four-year-old boy was missing Monday evening. According to her arrest report, when officers arrived to search for the child, they found trash scattered around the home. One officer reported observing "leftover food on the ground, mold on the walls and furniture, several live and dead cockroaches, (and) used diapers."
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The officer also reported none of the bedrooms in the home had beds that could be slept on.
After 30 minutes of searching, the child was located under a flipped mattress in one of the bedrooms, police said. Another responding officer said the child appeared to be cowering under the bed, and was also concealed by piles of filth.
The location of Payne's residence was redacted from her arrest report.
When questioned by the officers about the living conditions inside the home, Payne said she "tries to clean but is tired of cleaning up after everyone else that lives there," the report said.