Officials probe case of family in squalor

5 children found living in filth in Hyde Park house

Throughout the light blue house tucked away on a side street in Hyde Park, city and state investigators found feces smeared on the walls and dirty diapers strewn about. They also found a bucket filled with urine and evidence of bedbugs.

But most disturbing of all Thursday night was the discovery of five children, ranging from 10 months to 9 years old, two of them nearly naked, with feces on them.

Just three months ago, an inspection of the house by the Boston Housing Authority, which defrays the cost of rent in the house through a federal voucher, found no evidence of such squalor, although it did note a few maintenance violations. The landlord, who has been trying to fix the code violations, said a maintenance man sent to the house two or three weeks ago also did not notice anything awry, leading everyone to wonder what happened.

"I feel so bad for the kids," said Ralph Corrado, the landlord, who added that he didn't know five children were living there.

The children are now in the custody of the Department of Social Services, which is conducting an investigation that could lead to charges being filed by the district attorney's office. Richard Nangle, a DSS spokesman, would not speculate on possible charges, saying that the publicity is "bad enough for this family."

Boston police discovered the children shortly after receiving a complaint at 8:14 p.m. about gunshots being fired near the house. The shots turned out to be fireworks set off by a 15-year-old boy who lived in the house on A Street.

As police confiscated the fireworks inside the house, they heard babies crying. They investigated and found the younger children on the second floor and in the attic.

"All of the children were ill clothed and smelled of urine," police said in a statement posted on the department website. "Further, officers observed feces on the children, on the floor, and on the walls."

They also came across a room full of malnourished cats, which also had feces on them.

Fifteen minutes after the discovery, the parents returned home.

"When asked to explain their absence, the parents stated that they had left their 15-year-old son in charge of watching the children," police said. "Additionally, the parents stated that the children's grandparents were also in the home to watch the children."

Police confirmed the grandparents' presence.

Ambulances took the children to Children's Hospital Boston for an evaluation. Nangle said DSS has no previous history with the family.

Neither he nor city officials would release the parents' names. The house is rented to Donald Kesterson, a step-grandfather to the children, the landlord said.

The city's Inspectional Services Department, which has posted condemnation notices and orders to vacate on the house, will hold a hearing on the violations Tuesday. Lisa Timberlake, a department spokeswoman, said such violations are rare. Both the tenants and the landlord could be found at fault for various violations.

"It needs some work, cleaning and sanitizing mostly, but it's not like anyone can't live there again," Timberlake said.

Boston housing inspectors last examined the house in December. At that time, they found the landlord had addressed some code violations from an inspection the previous month, but found he had not fixed a rusty bathtub, removed ceiling stains, or scraped peeling paint from the house's exterior, according to inspection reports. A follow-up inspection was slated for March 28.

However, in light of the current situation, the housing authority has terminated the landlord's qualification for receiving a rent subsidy and is considering whether the family should still be eligible for one, said Lydia Agro, a city housing spokeswoman.

Yesterday, toys, appliances, and faded plastic Halloween pumpkins cluttered the front of the house, which is next to a neighborhood tavern known as the Cavan Cafe and is surrounded by several industrial buildings.

Plywood covered the doors. A wooden ramp leads to a side door. Corrado said that Kesterson uses a wheelchair.

"I hope I don't get in trouble for this," Corrado said. "I don't know what is involved in getting this resolved. . . . You would never dream there were five kids in that house."