FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested three people on child neglect charges after an extensive investigation involving a baby with bone fractures and deplorable living conditions.
Lynn Marie Kulka, Michael Alan Choate, and Rene Elizabeth Marchetta were taken into custody after a two-week investigation found deplorable living conditions and injuries to three young children in their care.
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Investigators who checked on the welfare of three children, ages 4, 1, and 4-months, all living inside the residence on Brelyn Place. FCSO initially responded to the residence on July 3 to assist the Florida Department of Children and Families. DCF officials were were investigating the welfare of the children after a 4-month-old child living at the address was brought to Florida Hospital Flagler with multiple insect bites and bone fractures.
The investigation revealed all three children inside the residence were living in deplorable conditions.
The home was infested with bugs, so severely that hundreds of cockroaches were seen crawling on the floors, walls, ceilings, cabinets, and on all of the furniture including the children’s mattresses, playpens and bassinet.
All three children in the home were covered in multiple bug bites.
The investigation further discovered that the home had no working air conditioning. When questioned
Kulka said she had chosen not to address the air conditioning issue because she did not want the
landlord to discover the living conditions inside of the home.
“This is a traumatic situation for all of the children involved,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “The children
who were living in this house were subjected to deplorable living conditions. I’m very proud of the hard
work our investigators did to put this case together and thankful that the children are now safe from
these three individuals who obviously don't know how to be parents or properly care for children.”
Lynn Marie Kulka, Michael Alan Choate, and Rene Elizabeth Marchetta were booked into the Flagler
County Detention Facility Friday evening with a $5,000 bond per charge totaling $15,000 bond per
individual.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office said that the investigation is active and additional charges may be added.