Children, Pets Reportedly Rescued From Squalor In Ivy Bend Home; Mother Charged

MORGAN COUNTY, Mo. — A two-year-old girl, a four-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy were removed from a home on 33532 Ray Road in Ivy Bend, and their mother has been charged with child endangerment, after authorities say they found the children living in squalor.

Heather Bryant, 35, Stover, Mo., has been charged with three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child Creating Substantial Risk – 1st Degree – No Sexual Conduct. Additional charges may be pending for animal abuse and neglect, once a veterinarian’s report is received.

According to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department probable cause statement, Morgan County Sheriff Detective Mark McLaughlin and Det. Kyle Towles came to check the well-being of the children on Wednesday, April 17, after they received a report of concerns about their living conditions and safety.

A daycare worker was alerted to a possible problem when one child was observed drinking out of a sippy cup that was soiled with mold and dirt. Morgan County School District R-1 School Resource Officer John Cannon reportedly attempted to contact Bryant for two months, due to concerns about the child’s safety, with no success.

Also, according to the report, Angela Fairchild, with the Missouri Department of Family Services, (DFS) had last been in touch with Bryant on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018. Bryant’s boyfriend had reportedly advised DFS they were moving to Warsaw, Mo. After attempting to contact Bryant for four months, with no success, DFS closed the case, according to the document.

Det. McLaughlin and Det. Towles visited the Bryant home. According to the probable cause statement, on arrival, they observed trash in the yard, and feces, ammonia and urine odors. They informed Bryant they were there to check on the children and reported Bryant invited them into the residence. Officers reported the odor intensified once inside the residence, and they observed trash and dog feces on the floor and human feces on a toilet. They reported the floors were also wet with urine and AH was in the crib, drinking out of a sippy cup containing dirt and mold.

The detectives further observed that AH was dirty, with a contusion on her forehead that had been bleeding. Hair and dirt were matted and dried onto the injury, they said, noting AH also had bruising around her neck and an unidentifiable rash on the back of her neck. They reported she was also sitting in a dirty diaper.

Officers reported that there was no electricity, water or food in the home. Bryant’s three children, her brother and her boyfriend reportedly lived in the residence.

According to the probable cause statement, Det. McLaughlin informed Bryant the living conditions were not acceptable for the children. Bryant reportedly became belligerent and was placed under arrest for Child Neglect and transported to the Morgan County Jail. The children were turned over to DFS. In a Post Miranda interview, Bryant stated that she “knew the residence was not fit for even her dogs to live in,” authorities say.

Bryant is scheduled to appear before Judge Stephen Grantham at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 7 at the Morgan County Justice Center.

The Animals

The Morgan County Sheriff’s Department made a courtesy call to the Ivy Bend Animal Rescue notifying them of an animal abuse case on the Bryant property. They report the property owner gave them written permission to search the property and rescue the animals.

JR and Connie Bibey are the Founders of the Ivy Bend Animal Rescue. Bibey checked on the animals, immediately transporting one injured dog to emergency veterinary care. She then called in the Unleashed Pet Rescue and Adoption out of Mission, Kan., to assist with the rescue. “At this time, we do not have a license to take in animals, so we notified our partners at Unleashed,” Bibey said. They came out the next day to pick up the animals. This is the second time Unleashed has rescued animals in Ivy Bend.

Unleashed CEO and Founder Danielle Reno brought a team of volunteers to the Ivy Bend property at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 20. They found eight living dogs, one deceased dog, and three cats, besides the one dog that had been already removed.

“Some of the animals were in the house,” Bibey said. “There was a black and brown chihuahua curled up on the floor. He was dead, like he was asleep, either attacked or starved to death.” According to Bibey, some of the dogs were emaciated, clearly having not eaten in a very long time. All of the animals were reportedly infested with fleas and ticks, and a second chihuahua was lying on the couch, unable to move and crying in pain.

The Home

“The condition of the home and yard were horrendous,” Bibey said. Volunteers put on masks, gloves, drapes and booties, and methodically moved into the house as they searched for animals. “It was beyond extreme,” Bibey reported. “Dogs were standing in feces on the stove. The stench was horrific. I have never smelled anything like it before. I can’t believe the babies were living in those conditions,” Bibey said. They reported finding maggots, roaches, and a pillow in the baby’s crib covered in feces.

The Yard

Trash and piles of junk surrounded the exterior of the house, the animal rescue team reported, and the outside dogs were on chains.

Volunteers searched for and loaded up the animals in the yard. They moved slowly, speaking in gentle tones, calming the animals so they knew they were not going to hurt them. Danielle discerned, “All of the animals were super excited to get out of there.”

The animals were immediately taken to the veterinarian. The most immediate need was nourishment. The animals were examined by the veterinarian, vaccinated, dewormed, microchipped and given food and treatment for heartworms, fleas and ticks. They will eventually be spayed or neutered. The chihuahua found dead on the floor will be cremated. The chihuahua on the couch may have her leg amputated.

“Cases like this break my heart,” Danielle said. “Especially the ones when we are too late. In the calls where they are still alive, I look into their eyes and I can see their desperation, begging us to help them, to get them out of there. I can’t imagine the children and the animals being forced to live in these conditions; they had no choice. I hope something is done so they never have children or pets ever again.”

“I get very emotional when I see what some humans put animals through. I love to see a full circle where they are adopted into loving homes and spoiled like they should. It makes it all worth it.” For information about the Unleashed Pet Rescue visit unleashedrescue.com.

The Ivy Bend Animal Rescue has vetted more than a thousand animals since opening. They have spayed or neutered 450 animals and transported more than 400 out of the area. They give out approximately 400 pounds of dog food, 200 pounds of cat food and 25 flea and tick treatments every month. They have a building and hope to build a kennel to house animals themselves soon. The rescue operates on donations and revenue from a thrift store. They also assist low income people with necessities from the thrift store. To contact the Ivy Bend Animal Rescue call 573-372-8191.

Ivy Bend

“People passed by this house every day,” Bibey said. “Someone should have said something. There are at least 30 homes like this in the Bend, but I guarantee there are more out in the woods that no one knows about.”

Ivy Bend is a remote area in Morgan County, with a vast diversity of economic situations: there are plenty of well-kept homes, but other areas are in squalor. “There are wonderful people out here that take care of their homes and families,” Bibey said. “We have a teen center, a food pantry and a wonderful volunteer fire department.”

One reason for the poverty is the ability to buy cheap land, for low payments and almost no money down. But, after some people move to Ivy Bend, they struggle with the combination of a lack of readily available utilities, transportation, employment or resources.

“The trash-filled properties are not here because people are poor, it’s because they are lazy. It is generational. There is also a huge drug problem in the Bend. We hear about a meth lab blowing up every month,” Bibey added.

Last year, according to Bibey, authorities found a 28-year-old handicapped man locked in a small trailer by his caregivers. “When we opened the door, thousands of roaches fell out on us,” she said. They also rescued several animals from this property.

Anyone with information about abuse or neglect is urged to call the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department anonymously at 573-378-5481.

The Ivy Bend Food Pantry has multiple outreaches to the poor and elderly in the Ivy Bend community. For information about the pantry call 573-372-9892.