Seven Ceres children removed from deplorable apartment

Seven children were rescued Tuesday night from a filthy one-bedroom apartment infested by cockroaches and barren of food; its only source of running water was a bathtub filled with clothing.

The oldest child, a 9-year-old girl, told a Ceres Police Officer her only meals came from the hot lunches she got at school.

Ceres Police found the children when they were dispatched to a report of a man and woman fighting in the street in the 1900 block of Darrah Street, said Sgt. Jose Berber.

The man was reportedly punching cars and trying to hit the woman.

When officers arrived, witnesses directed them to an apartment to which the couple had retreated.

Berber said the door was open when officers approached and they could see the man standing over the woman with clenched fists.

Another woman, the mother of the seven children, was sitting on the couch holding one of them, Berber said. When she saw the officer she walked over to him and shoved him in the shoulder in an effort to keep him out of the apartment.

Offices detained the woman, 24-year-old Amy Luna, as well as the woman and man who were fighting; Luna’s sister 26-year-old Suzanne Luna and her boyfriend 25-year-old Jose Garcia.

Three other adults who were drunk inside the apartment, there were empty alcohol bottles everywhere, were detained but later released, Berber said. He said all of the adults appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Officers found the other six children, who ranged in age from 2 to 9, sleeping on a couch in the apartment’s only bedroom. There appeared to be fresh vomit on the couch.

The officers observed the following conditions, according to Berber:

There were kitchen knives, garbage and animal feces throughout the house.

Cockroaches infested the home, scurrying on walls and inside kitchen cabinets and in the bedroom.

There was no food or clean dishes; dirty dishes were left piled in the sink.

The only drinking water was from the tap and the only faucet that worked was in the bathtub, which was filled with clothes.

None of the appliances appeared to be working. In the outlet intended for the stove a washing machine was illegally hooked up with exposed wires. There was standing water inside the washing machine.

The children were wearing dirty clothes and appeared not have been bathed in several days.

Child Protective Services took custody of the children, Berber said.

The home had been condemned Wednesday, a notice posted on the front door and in a window deemed the building unsafe to occupy. A list of violations was affixed to a window with tape the read: Evidence – do not open. The violations included infestation of insects, vermin or rodent; spliced wires and uncovered electrical boxes.

A trash can on the front porch was filled with paper plates and beer boxes, a dirty car seat was propped against the wall.

Amy Luna, Jose Garcia and Suzanne Luna were all arrested on suspicion of child endangerment. Amy Luna was also arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest.

“The nine-year-old told the officer she did not have any clean clothes and only ate when she was at school,” Berber said. “She slept on the couch with her brothers and sisters and was very happy when she found out she was going to a foster home.”

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Seven Ceres children removed from deplorable apartment."